Down the Rabbit Hole
by Kenzypirateb
Summary: Lucy is given a strange key on her birthday. When she wakes up she finds herself in a new world, nothing but a mysterious key with powers beyond her imagination and a bizarre guy with pink hair by her side. Will the unlikely duo be able to come together to save this new Wonderland from annihilation and return Lucy home? Join Lucy as she ventures down the rabbit hole and beyond.
1. Lucy & Layla

**Hello lovely readers! Firstly, thank you so much for showing interest in my story! I fell head over heels in love with Fairy Tail as soon as I started watching it! The characters, the story, the world-everything about it! Thus, I was inspired to write and post my first ever fan fiction! And here you have it! Well, the beginning of it anyway! Fairy Tail Retold; the story of our beloved characters told from a parallel world. Find out how things are different in this alternate reality and read along as a totally new adventure unfolds! Thank you, thank you! Enjoy:)**

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 _The vast, starry night billowed with smoke that appeared to go on for miles; the smell of flames completely engulfed the air. Screams echoed in the distance, but she didn't flinch. Her eyes were pointed to the sky, eagerly squinting, hoping that something would come into view. At last, she caught sight of it. A sound unlike any she had ever heard before tore through the sky, deafening everyone within hearing distance. The roar lit her world ablaze with fire so bright, it seemed heavenly. More screams sounded as people ran for their lives, scrambling to get away from the heat and the beast that was quickly drawing closer. But not her. She felt a rush of exhilaration, and took a few steps forward, eyes still glued to the heavens. Two wings beat furiously, sending gusts of wind so strong she struggled not to fall over as the creature descended in front of her. It landed with one last whoosh of its wings, smoke flaring from its nostrils as it lowered its head to gaze into her eyes. She blinked back knowingly, not frightened in the least of the dragon that now filled her entire view. The heat emanating from it was like a comfortable embrace welcoming her. She smiled timidly up at the being before her, and slowly reached up to place her hand on its long snout. Her palm connected with the smooth scales, and then her world went up in smoke, fire, and darkness._

OoOoOoO

Lucy Heartfilia jolted out of her slumber, breathing heavily as she struggling to untangle herself from her sheets and blankets. When she finally freed herself, she sat up, brushed her tangled golden locks out of her eyes, and took a few deep breaths. Her heart was still racing from the dream that was quickly erasing itself from her memory. What had it been about? She almost swore she could still smell the distinct aroma of smoke mixed with, what...pine trees? No, she told herself, that's absurd. She couldn't possibly smell something in real life that had come from a dream. Shaking her head, she jumped out of bed in search for some clothes to change into.

She threw on a pair of jeans, a tank top and a cardigan just in time to hear her mother yell from the floor below. "Lucy, dear, it's time to get up! Breakfast is ready!"

"Coming!" She called back with a smile, eagerly hurrying to make her bed and rush down the stairs. The wafting aroma of warm pancakes and sizzling bacon filled her nose, effectively chasing away any thoughts of smokey dreams left on her mind.

Layla Heartfilia and Lucy Heartfilia had the closest relationship a mother and daughter could have. When Lucy was very little, her mother was left a widow to raise her by herself. She noticed at a young age that her mom didn't like talking about her father; it always seemed to bring her pain. But since Lucy didn't even remember him, she was fine with not bringing him up to spare her mothers feelings. So for as long as Lucy could remember, it's just been her and her mom, traveling the world, moving from place to place. One might think it'd get lonely, moving often and never knowing any one person for very long, but Lucy and her mother were happy. After all, they had each other and they had the whole world out there for them to explore.

Lucy questioned once how they were able to afford all of their traveling expenses, on top of Lucy's homeschooling. Her mother had visibly tensed, but kept working on dinner as she answered, "your father was a successful businessman. He left behind a small fortune that will take care of us for a while." Lucy had almost asked what kind of business he was in but she saw the brief flash of sadness on her mothers face and decided against it.

When the blonde made it downstairs, her mom had already fixed two plates with a generous portion of pancakes and bacon. She handed one to Lucy while greeting her warmly.

"Thanks, mom. Good morning!" Lucy said with a yawn as she set her plate down on their little kitchen table. She stretched before sitting to eat. After a few mouthwatering bites, she glanced up at her mother who was still standing there staring at her. "What's up?" She asked uncertainly.

Layla watched her for another second before smiling tenderly at her daughter. "Nothing. Just admiring how beautiful my little girl is."

"Oh, jeez." Lucy muttered, looking away embarrassed. "Such a doting mother." She teased before digging into her meal. Her mother laughed and joined her at the table.

OoOoOoO

Later that evening, the two found themselves at a local bookstore, browsing for new novels that caught their eyes. Both girls loved to read, definitely more than the average human being. Their current home was filled with books littering the place, shoved in every spot imaginable. Well, every spot that wasn't already filled with art supplies that is. Lucy was flipping through the pages of a book on advanced drawing techniques when her mom spoke up nervously. "So your birthday is coming up..."

Lucy sighed, shutting the book and putting it back on the shelf. She already knew all the techniques in it anyway; they did have a lot of time on their hands, after all. "I told you already that I don't need anything, mom. You always do so much for me anyway."

"I know," her mom pleaded. "But isn't there anything you want? Or want to do?"

Lucy moved to the next aisle of books, her mom trailing behind her. "Nothing that I can really think of. It's fine, seriously."

Her mom stuck her lips out in a pout. "But you're turning eighteen!" She whined, putting emphasis on the number.

Lucy eyed her mother, letting her fingers skim over the spines of the books and choosing one blindly. "You know that's _just_ another number, like all the other ones."

Her mom answered, muttering something about how eighteen was supposed to be an important milestone, but Lucy lost focus on what her mother was saying when she glanced down at the book she had picked. It was an old, black leather book with a silver outline of a scaly dragon on the front, titled 'Ancient Dragon Folklore'. Without thinking anything of it, Lucy tucked the book under her free arm with the other books she intended to buy. She kept talking to her mom casually, not seeing the way her mother eyed the book now held in her arms.

The pair paid for their books and were on their way, still discussing the upcoming birthday. Lucy finally gave in and told her mom they could go out to her favorite restaurant as long as her mom agreed not to get her any outrageous gifts. She really didn't feel as though she needed any presents at all. With the two of them constantly moving, it was hard for them to keep a lot of possessions. They made an exception for their large stockpile of books, agreeing that they'd rather go through packing them and unpacking over and over than not having them at all.

When they returned home, they each picked a book out of their new piles and sat on the couch while leaning up against one another; a routine that was very familiar and normal to them both. That's just how it was with the two of them. They lived calm and mellow, always stress free. It was a simple life. A normal life. That had always been enough for Lucy. There wasn't anything she could think of that she would want more. Then again, at the time she didn't know exactly how much more there was to life. So together they fell into another blissfully comfortable silence and read the rest of the night away.

OoOoOoO

It was the night before Lucy's birthday, yet another peaceful and quiet evening, just like most others in her life. She had been lounging in her room, curled up with a book when her mother knocked gently on her door.

"You don't have to knock, Mom! Come in." Lucy called while marking the place in her book where she left off.

The door creaked open, and Layla poked her head in. "Hey sweetie." She said lovingly. "I just wanted to say goodnight."

Lucy pulled her legs up to make room for her mom to come and sit on the end of her bed. She smiled when her mom gracefully sat down and leaned in close to give her a hug. "I love you, Luce. And I'm so proud of the lovely young woman you've become."

Lucy's eyes softened as she returned the embrace, happy to hear her mother's little nickname for her. "Well you should be proud of yourself too, since I wouldn't be who I am without you. Now go to bed, you affectionate fool. It can't be healthy to be all mushy like this all the time." She teased with a loving smile.

"Okay, okay." Her mom relented, and pulled away to sit up straight. "But first, here." She reached into the pocket of her robe and pulled out a small, rectangular box with a little pink bow. "I know it's a night early, but you used to love opening early presents."

Lucy eyed the box somewhat exasperatingly, but couldn't help the small smile that tugged at her lips. "I guess opening one couldn't hurt." She said, more to make her mom happy rather than herself.

Her mom lit up as Lucy took the box from her hands and pulled off the bow. She stuck it atop her mothers head with a grin, then tore open the wrapping paper and promptly lifted the lid of the box. Inside lay a thin silver chain and hooked onto it was the most peculiar key she had ever seen. It was about five inches in length and ornately designed. The strangest thing about the key was that it was almost see through, with what appeared to be a galaxy of shining stars filling the entire body. It was like the object held it's own universe within it. She picked it up gingerly, afraid it might be fragile due to its opacity. But she was quickly surprised to find that it felt like the strongest of unbreakable metals. Her fingertips tingled slightly where the key made contact with them, and she glanced up towards her mother with questioning eyes.

"It's beautiful. What does it open?" She asked softly.

Layla looked at the key with reminiscence before answering. "That was once a key to the place where you were born. I've held onto it for far too long." She touched the key that was held in her daughters hands. "I figured it was time for it to move on. You can keep it, as something to help you always remember where you came from."

Lucy strangely felt her eyes water, although she had no idea why. "I love it. It really is beautiful." She said thickly, then cleared her throat. "But I don't really know much about where I came from." She said as a joke in an attempt to lighten her suddenly forlorn mood.

Her mom chuckled lightly. "From love, silly." She stood up from the bed and headed towards the door. "And a little bit of magic of course." She added with a wink.

With that, Lucy smiled brightly at her mother. "Thank you, Mom. I promise I'll take care of it."

"I know, sweetie. Goodnight. Put the book away and get some sleep. We have a big day tomorrow!"

Lucy rolled her eyes as she said goodnight. When the door shut behind her mom, Lucy placed the key back into it's box with one last long look at it. She sat it gently on her bedside table, flipped off her bedroom light, and cocooned herself within her warm blankets.

"Where I came from, huh...?" She mumbled softly before letting out a rather large yawn.

That night, Lucy went to bed thinking about simpler times, when she was a young girl with a wild imagination who believed in the magic her mother spoke of. Her eyes shut and her mind slowly drifted away from reality, into the world of dreams.

 _She was running wildly through rolling, grassy fields. A scent wafted into her nose giving her a strange sense of deja vu. Where has she smelled this before? It was then that she noticed the clouds of smoke filling the air around her. The wisps of vapor moved charmingly, tendrils of it almost seeming to urge her forward. She moved along, willingly following the path it led her down, breathing in the calming aroma. Why was smoke calming? Shouldn't it have the opposite effect and bring her alarm? She didn't care. She followed anyway._

 _She came upon a rocky ledge that hung above a canyon, giving her a clear view of the valley below and the vast night sky above, full with its thousands of shining stars. The smoke swirled to a stop and faded into nothingness, leaving her alone and taking away her only comfort in this large, empty place. She looked around, hoping to find something or someone nearby. That was when her head was suddenly filled with a voice that was not her own, a voice so powerful and regal it made her feel as though she should bow before it._

 _"Lucy Heartfilia." It said her name familiarly, as if she were an old friend._

 _Her eyes darted in all directions, head moving around so fast she almost felt dizzy. She found nothing unusual anywhere but the voice in her head continued. "Remember where you came from."_

 _The next act happened so fast she could hardly make out what was going on. A bright pink flash blinded her, coming seemingly from out of nowhere, and the one voice in her head multiplied to what sounded like dozens. The smell of smoke surrounded her and she clutched her head in her hands, growing panicked as the voices increased in volume. They were all different -male, female, young, and old- all repeating the same words, some overlapping one another. They drowned everything around her out, aside from that peculiar smell of smoke and that very distinct shade of pink that filled her vision._

Lucy jolted awake to the sound of her alarm going off. She sat up so fast she gave herself a head rush, black dots filling her blurry vision as she desperately panted. Her eyes were wide as discs and her breathing was still erratic when she reached over to shut off the alarm. But it wasn't her alarm, she realized belatedly. The clock on her bedside table read midnight and she certainly didn't have an alarm set for midnight. No, the sound was coming from the old grandfather clock chiming at the end of the hallway outside of her bedroom. That's strange...she didn't normally wake up to the sound of that clock. She had grown used to it after a while and normally slept right through it.

She held a hand to her chest, feeling the sporadic rhythm of her heart beating against her sternum, and took a few more shaky breaths before she finally calmed down. _It's my birthday_ , she realized and looked over at the key resting on the table beside her. She reached out for it, with the hope that she would find something comforting in it as she thought back to her dream. Her fingers closed around the key right as the clock reached it's twelfth and final chime. Then, just like that, the world as she knew it completely disappeared.

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 **Ta da! End chapter one! As you can see, there's already quite a few deferences in this world and the one we know. The biggest difference being LUCY'S MOM IS ALIVE! Dun dun dunnn. And Lucy seems a little too mellow, don't you think? Hm, maybe something just might change that;)**

 **Any guesses as to who is in Lucy's dreams? :D I'd love to hear your thoughts!:D**

 **Anyways, thank you for reading! It's off to a slow start just to get some introductions out of the way! But don't worry, it picks up real soon:) Let me know what you think!**


	2. Welcome to Wonderland

**Hello and thanks for reading! Welcome to the chapter you've been waiting for! Hehehe:)**

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The last normal thing Lucy remembered was grasping the key her mother had given her. Everything after that didn't feel real. The only logical explanation was that she had to have still been dreaming, right?

With an incredibly bright light, she was suddenly moving faster than she had ever moved in her life, probably faster than any human being had _ever_ moved before. She could only describe it as feeling as though her soul had left her body completely, a lot like the feeling of going over the tallest part of a roller coaster, only a thousand times faster and much more frightening.

If she could've screamed, she would have, but it was like she had lost all of the air in her lungs. Brilliantly vibrant colors were the only thing she could make sense of as they flashed past her at alarming speeds. If she had to guess what traveling at light speed felt like, she would definitely say that this was it. She heard next to nothing, aside from a very light whistle sound, probably because she was going too impossibly fast to hear any noises at all. The only thing she felt were the tingles that were starting from her palm where she held the key and shooting their way up her arm.

She closed her eyes and was beginning to despair when suddenly the bizarre phenomenon stopped, almost as quickly as it started. The cease of movement was so sudden that she fell gracelessly to the ground, biting her tongue roughly on the impact. _OW_. The coppery taste of blood filled her mouth and it slowly dawned on her that she couldn't be dreaming if she felt pain. Feeling very dizzy and terrified, she opened her eyes to find her worst fears had come true. She was no longer in her room, nor was she in her house. She was no longer in any place she had ever seen before.

She stared across fields of rolling grass, dotted with wildflowers here and there, a sunrise peeking up on the horizon. The sky was filled with floating islands of different shapes and sizes, and far off in the atmosphere a huge planet with rings much like Saturn could be seen, along with a crescent shaped moon far off as well.

The magnificent sight before her is what finally sent Lucy over the edge. The dizzy feeling became overwhelming as she bent over in the grass and loudly threw up everything she had in her stomach. When she finished spitting up what she could she crawled away from the vile and looked again at the sky. "I'm losing my mind." She frantically said to herself. "Oh god, I'm really going crazy." She wanted to go to sleep. "I'm going crazy." She repeated this to herself, wishing with her entire being that she was in her bed, back in-

"I don't think you're _going_ crazy. Looks to me like you already are."

The somewhat mocking voice came from behind her, and Lucy screamed as she whirled around, making herself dizzy all over again. Out of all the things that had happened to her tonight, she thought that the sight before her was probably the craziest. Before her stood a boy, probably around her age, maybe older. He wore a strange black jacket, with one sleeve missing, and flowing white bottoms that were tied off right below his knees. She faintly noticed a weird tattoo on his shoulder before focusing on his even weirder white scarf that kind of looked like scales; it didn't seem to go with what he was wearing at all, but who was she to judge when she was losing her mind? Stranger yet was his hair, his _pink_ hair, that stuck out in all directions, and not to mention the dangerous, almost wild facial features he had. Wait, where had she seen that shade of pink before? And why was this strange man grinning at her like that? Could he not sense her distress or even see it written clearly on her face? Was he oblivious or just plain insensitive?

The questions piled high as Lucy grew more confused and scared by the second. She opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by another voice. This voice, however, did not come from the boy in front of her. It instead came from the blue cat that peeked out from behind him and flew, yes _flew_ , above his head to hover there and peer down at her.

"Careful, Natsu! She's definitely crazy!"

Lucy blinked once, twice, three times at the duo before a hysteric giggle escaped her lips. That was all it took before everything around her grew dark. She felt her body softly thud against the grass as unconsciousness claimed her.

The boy, Natsu, lost his grin immediately and glanced worriedly up to the cat flying above him. "Uh...Happy? Now what do we do?"

OoOoOoO

She was empty. A blank vessel surrounded by blackness and free of thoughts and emotions. This dark emptiness was welcomed by Lucy. She wanted to remain that way. But unfortunately for her, she couldn't stay knocked out forever. It wasn't any noise that awoke her; it actually seemed eerily quiet. It was the smell that was tickling her nose that finally pulled her out of the depths of sleep. It was a woodsy smell, like a combination of pine cones and grass, mixed with smoke; a good kind of smoke, like the smell of a campfire. Not a smoke that smelled toxic, like burning plastic. In fact, she was sure that she had smelled this same aroma in a dream before. So then was this all a dream?

If so, that meant that she had to be in her bed and was about to wake up, right? She felt covers weighing down on her and a pillow beneath her head, so that must be true! It had all been another crazy dream! Her eyes sprang open and she jerked upright. This, however, immediately sent her unsteadily rocking back and forth for some reason she couldn't comprehend. Her hope started spiraling downward at the same time that she tried to move and roughly fell onto a hard stone floor. "Oww." She cried softly while rubbing the sore spot on her head where she hit the ground. She glanced up and saw that it was a hammock, not her bed, that had caused her to lose her balance and fall.

Still holding her head, she took in the rest of her surroundings with a mixed feeling of shock and disgust. She had never seen a place so filthy. Clothes, dishes, food and many strange items littered the entire house. Was it even really a house? Before she had time to contemplate it, the door flew open letting in the outside light and outlining a familiar silhouette.

The pink haired boy, Natsu, ran in looking at her with concern, but promptly tripped over a dumbbell, face planting onto the floor much like Lucy had just done herself.

"Pft." Despite her confusion, fear, and questions, Lucy found the scene very comical and couldn't help the little laugh that bubbled up from her.

At the sound of her nervous giggle, Natsu's now red face jerked up. He looked confused, as if he had no idea what was going on, which made Lucy feel a little better. That at least made two of them that didn't know what was going on.

He jumped to his feet, not at all embarrassed by what just happened. "I heard ya wake up, guess I shoulda watched where I was going before storming in here." He mumbled the last part more to himself, then flashed her a big toothy grin. "Mornin' crazy lady! My name's Natsu."

Lucy felt a vein throb in her head at being called crazy again. What was up with this guy? How rude! She wanted to feel a little annoyed, but right now wasn't the best time to let emotions like that get the best of her. Right now she needed answers, and seeing as he clearly wasn't a threat to her at the moment -he must have brought her to shelter safely after all- she took a deep breath and straightened herself up.

"H-hi. I'm Lucy."

* * *

 **Yay! My precious Nalu:) Finally, they meet!**

 **It was fun writing the 'light speed' travel scene. Seriously, how cool would it be to experience traveling at warp speed?! The world of Star Wars is calling my name...**

 **So, any questions? Concerns? Please, feel free to ask away and let me know what you think so far:D And thank you so much for reading!**


	3. AN Oopsies

**A/N: Ahh, so sorry! Skip this chapter!**

 **I combined my first and second chapter because they were so short, so now I'm left with this blank abyss! I didn't want to delete this though, because I don't know if it would delete the reviews. And reviews make me so happy because I value what you all say sooo much! I would hate to lose any of them and not be able to read them again!**

 **I guess I can use this space to explain a little bit about the world that Lucy has just fallen into. In this story, there will be different character backgrounds _and_ similar character backgrounds, but don't worry, all will be explained! In the world that I have created, Asuka exists. The guild members that were not on Tenrou island with the main team are still different. They're all seven years older, but it's just because they're seven years older. The events on Tenrou island haven't happened in the timeline that my story is in. I hope that makes sense! It sounds confusing, haha. **

**Also, you may notice that the description of the planet itself when Lucy first lands on Earthland in chapter 2 is much different than the Earthland in the actual FT! This description sounds so different because this is a completely different world. This is a new story, a parallel world, so I wanted to have some fun with the scenery and make it magical! It sounds like Edolas, with the floating Islands and whatnot, but it's not Edolas! It's just a different version of Earthland:) And I can't wait to explore more of this beautiful world with you all!**

 **Anyways, please continue to the next chapter and I hope you enjoy!:D**

 **I look forward to going on this wonderful journey with you all, and thank you so much for coming on it with me! We'll go through the laughs, heartaches, and smiles together and I'm excited for it every step of the way:)**

 **Thank you for reading, lovelies! This won't happen again, I promise!**

 **Have a great morning/afternoon/night!**

 **xoxo**


	4. Weirdos & Aliens

**Yay! Chapter 4 is here! This is a long one:) The first few chapters were pretty short since I was still testing everything out. But I've fallen in love with this story and where I'm taking it from here on out, so expect longer chapters like this one! Thanks for reading, and enjoy!:)**

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Natsu Dragneel was having a pretty strange day. Well, most of his days were pretty strange...but this one stuck out to him even more than the rest. He'd been on his way back from a job, just like any other, excitedly chatting with Happy about how they'd just taken down a group of bandits the night before.

"I'm sooo hungry, Happy. Let's have Mira cook up somthin' awesome when we get back!" He exclaimed, pumping his fist in the air with enthusiasm.

"Aye, sir!" His little blue friend cheered, mimicking the same motion with his paw.

They began to pick up their pace in anticipation, eager to stuff their bellies full with some home cooked meals, when suddenly a flash of light burst into existence, temporarily blinding them both. Natsu's hand flew up to his face in an attempt to shield his eyes from the harsh light so that he could peek through them in order to get a look at what was happening not too far ahead of them.

The mysterious glow shot up into the sky like a beam, as if something from the heavens was being teleported down to Earthand. Maybe it was an angel, he thought bemusedly. Or an alien. Yeah, definitely an alien. That'd be awesome.

But when the light began to slowly fade away into nothingness, he realized it was neither of those. Sitting there, alone and facing away from him, was a girl. Thanks to his keen senses, one of the many perks of being a dragon slayer, he could clearly see the tension in her back as her head turned this way and that, examining her surroundings. The breeze carried her scent to his nostrils and he immediately knew it was one that he wouldn't likely forget. She smelled of cherry blossoms and sage, an enticing combination to his delicate nose. He could hear her hitched breathing, her racing heartbeat, and her distressed gasp that came when she looked up into the sky. Then she fell forward and vomited.

Sensing her obvious need of help, Natsu started moving, whispering "Come on, Happy." He was slightly amused with the situation, still wondering exactly what had just happened. Maybe that magic made her motion sick, like how he gets sometimes. He's thrown up plenty of times whenever he rode trains and stuff. But he had never seen that kind of magic before! Maybe this person could teach it to him after he helped her out with whatever she needed, right? That's a fair trade. If only he could use Wendy's troia spell...

He strolled up to her, his hands clasped carelessly behind his head while Happy clung to the back of his shoulders. He stopped once he reached the spot directly behind her, grinning as he thought about how awesome it would be to show back up at the guild and be able to show off that new trick, whatever it was. The image in his head of Gray's jaw dropping to the floor was priceless. Snickering to himself, he tuned back in to the girl before him, and, as always, Natsu opened his mouth without thinking.

Okay, so maybe calling the girl crazy wasn't the best first impression to make if he wanted to learn about her magic..but how could Natsu have known that she would get so upset she would pass out? Women were way too hard to understand..

His panicked flying friend suggested taking her back to the guild. They wouldn't just leave her alone there, lying in a field unconscious. That area wasn't exactly the safest, what with the bandits and the monsters sometimes roaming around. Natsu kneeled down beside her, then leaned his face in close to hers, earning his first good look at her from the front. She had soft features, smoothed out of all the fear and anxiety they had held just a moment ago. Her long lashes batted gently, as if she were dreaming, and she breathed deeply, exhaling more of her powerful aroma into Natsu's face. He huffed as he pulled back, thinking about what to do. Right before she had passed out she looked frightened, like a baby deer trapped in headlights. Waking up in the guild surrounded by all that madness would more than likely give her a heart attack. No, he wouldn't do that. He'd make sure she was safe and take her to their place first, at least until she woke up.

And so now, here he was, face to face with her in his house. The blonde, she had called herself Lucy, was fidgeting nervously in front of him, eyes darting back and forth from his face to the floor.

He jumped up, starting towards her but stopping dead in his tracks when he saw how she flinched at his sudden movement. _Baby deer, remember that, Natsu_ , he thought inwardly to himself. _Baby deer_. His brows pulled together, frustrated. He wasn't good at dealing with this kind of nervous person. Maybe he should go get Master, he'd probably know the right thing to do and say that wouldn't scare her.

Her small voice interrupted his reverie before he could make any decisions "So, um, Natsu..." She started uncertainly.

He grinned at her, feeling the smile pull his mouth open wide. She gazed at him for a second, seeming to assess whether or not to continue. Her facial expressions were amusing, bouncing from scared, to nervous, to embarrassed, then finally stopping with determined. She inhaled deeply and looked straight into his eyes. "Am I dead?"

He blinked at her. Her tone was serious, almost businesslike, and her eyes were staring at him in earnest. She was ready to hear the worst, anticipating it even. He couldn't help the laugh that bellowed out from him as he clenched his stomach. " _Dead?_ What?" He laughed again wholeheartedly, not seeing the look of disbelief and agitation that now took over Lucy's face.

His laughter cut off when he finally looked up to see her glowering at him. He wiped his eyes and quickly said "W-well, you can't be dead. 'Cause that would mean that I was dead and that sure as hell ain't happened yet." He finished with another toothy grin, waiting expectantly for her to smile back.

She, however, only looked more sad after hearing this. Natsu's grin faltered, confusion sweeping over him again. Why was she unhappy? Shouldn't she be thrilled to know that she hasn't kicked the bucket like she thought? He just didn't understand at all. To his horror, her eyes started glistening, threatening to spill tears any second. "H-hey..." He reached out hesitantly, wanting to make her feel better but not knowing how. His hand hovered in the air between them, unsure what to do.

"I don't understand." She murmured brokenly. _Well that makes two of us._ "If I'm not dead, then what is this place? Where am I?"

"Well that's easy!" He brightened instantly. "You're in my house. Happy and I brought you here."

Her eyes flicked up at him, squinting slightly, a small frown on her lips. He'd seen that look before. It was the look he received from his guild members when they thought he had said something rather stupid. He huffed, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring out the window. "What? It's true." He grumbled.

He heard her take a deep breath and glanced back at her. He watched her compose herself before she opened her eyes and looked at him with sincerity. "Thank you, really. I appreciate you helping me. But that's not what I meant. What I mean is that I literally have no idea where I am. Not just within this building."

Natsu's brow furrowed again, trying to understand. "So...you're lost?" He said while thinking that he was finally starting to get what was going on. "Well that's fine. I'll help ya find your way if you want. We found you on the outskirts of Magnolia, so you have to be from somewhere in Fiore. It shouldn't take us too long to find your way back home." His mind was working fast, trying to come up with ways to help the girl in front of him. "We should probably walk though, trains are a bad idea. And boats. And wagons. Yeah, we should just walk, that'd be the best solu-"

"Natsu!" He stopped abruptly, startled by the shout, and looked back at Lucy with wide eyes. She was fidgeting again, opening her mouth and then closing it. She was nervous, he realized, to say whatever it was she was about say. Finally, she clasped her hands together and stared intently down at the floor as she said in a rush, "I'm not just lost. I'm not from Mongolia or fio-whatever is was...I..I don't think I'm even from this planet." She said the last part very quietly, almost a whisper. But Natsu heard her. Natsu heard everything.

He jumped to his feet, which startled her again with the semi-instant movement, and pointed at her with glee. "Alien! You're an alien! I knew it! This is awesome!" He exclaimed with much enthusiasm. Happy owed him some jewels. He had definitely won that bet they made on their way back to their place with Lucy.

Natsu was basically jumping with joy when she said "What? N-no." But she faltered and gazed into the distance. "Well, maybe..I don't know! And why are you so happy about that?!"

Ignoring her last question, he quickly crossed the distance between them and kneeled before her, leaning in close to her face. "I get it now! You're not crazy, you're just a weirdo 'cause you're an alien!" He beamed at her, grinning widely. She stared back, wide eyed, unable to come up with anything to say. Her cheeks turned bright pink as she realized how close their faces were. He paused, looking at her speculatively, then closed his eyes and sniffed. _Maybe that's why she smells so nice_ , he thought as he inhaled that intoxicating scent, _because she's an alien_.

Next thing he registered was a sharp sting on his cheek and his head flew sideways. "What are you doing?!" She shouted into his sensitive ears. Wincing, he stumbled back. "Did you just sniff me?!" She screamed incredulously.

He rubbed his stinging cheek, confused. "Yeah, so?" He asked defensively. "What was that for? Why'd you smack me?!"

Her eyes bulged from her head. "You can't just go around sniffing people! And you just called me weird?! I'd say you're the weird one here!"

He balked, clenching his fists and forgetting his sore cheek altogether. "Bah! Not as weird as you for just suddenly hitting people! AND you're an alien! _You're_ weirder!"

Lucy's face was bright red with indignation. She seemed to be fuming from where she knelt on the ground and Natsu felt a pang of guilt. He hadn't meant to upset her. Somehow it just turned out that way. He was about to apologize when suddenly she was snickering. His mouth popped open in confusion as he watched. She clenched her sides and doubled over, laughing openly. It was a nice sound, he thought. It resonated through him like music and he listened intently as it vibrated through his small little home. She finally had a smile on her face rather than a look of fear or confusion. Huh. It looked nice, he mused. He watched until her laughs died down to small giggles and she had to wipe tears from her eyes.

"This is insane." She chuckled. "I've no idea what planet I'm on, there are floating mountains _and_ floating cats, the world makes no sense, and here I am bantering like a child with you over which one of us is more weird." Her last little sound of amusement left a faint smile on her face as she looked at him, now wearing a warm expression. "I'm sorry. I've been rude to you and you've only been trying to help me. Thank you, Natsu." She said genuinely, looking into his eyes.

Natsu's cheeks grew hot and he suddenly felt flustered. He couldn't look at her smiling face when he answered, "S'okay. You don't gotta thank me." He was still confused as to how she could have been so worked up only a moment ago and then be smiling radiantly up at him a few seconds later. _Women_.

She didn't say anything for awhile, letting silence once again fill the room. He looked back down at her out of the corner of his eyes. She was staring into space, twiddling with her fingers as she thought quietly to herself. She looked lost in thought, concentrating on whatever it was she was thinking. Natsu watched her, thinking quietly to himself as well. She looked best when she was smiling like before, he decided. So he was going to do what he could to help her keep that look on her face.

"Alright" He exclaimed, startling Lucy out of her train of thought. He reached a hand down to her, offering to help her stand while he clenched his other fist in the air. "I've decided! I'm gonna help ya, alien lady. I'm gonna getcha home!" He bellowed as she accepted his hand and he easily pulled her to her feet. She watched with bewilderment as he shouted, "I'm all fired up!"

The color then drained from her face as she looked up at his extended fist in the air, set ablaze with the brightest red-orange fire she'd ever seen.

" _Natsu!_ " She screamed. "You're on fire!"

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 **Lucy and Natsu are getting to know each other a little better! Yay!:) Is it just me, or is the calm and collected Lucy Heartfilia losing her composure a little bit around a certain dragon slayer? Hmmm...;)  
**

 **Next chapter will be introducing a LOT of people, so it'll be packed full! Thanks for reading, let me know what you think!**

 **Xoxo**


	5. Do you Believe in Magic?

**Hey guys! Sorry for the long break! But listen, I just spent my weekend in Nashville at a convention called Walker Stalker Con and most of the cast of The Walking Dead was there! And I FLIPPING MET CARL, JESUS, DEANNA, AND TYREESE! I got pictures with Carl and Jesus and I'm still fangirling because TWD is literally one of my favorite things on earth...Where are all my Walking Dead fans?:D**

 **Anyways, I'm back! And this is the longest chapter yet! Unfortunately, I haven't yet gotten to all of the meetings, this chapter ended up being longer than I thought:o but I promise, they're coming next chapter! Which I'll be posting tomorrow, so stay tuned!:D**

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Lucy had many questions. As a matter of fact, since the moment she opened her eyes in this world she had been filled with nothing _but_ questions. Was that actually Saturn in the sky? How was it possible for that cat, Happy, to fly? _And_ talk? Were those actually _floating islands_ she had seen earlier?

However, the forefront and perhaps most important question she had right now was _how can she put out the fire that has engulfed Natsu_?

Lucy squealed at the sight of the flames licking down his arm, spreading from his fist where they had spontaneously ignited. _Water_ , she screamed internally. _He needs water!_ Her eyes frantically searched his small home until she caught sight of the kitchen sink. Her body instinctively turned towards it and she was about to make a bolt for it when she felt strong, calloused fingers grasp her wrist and hold her in place.

She rounded on him, about to shout that he needed to let her go so she could help him, but was brought short by his confused look.

"Luce, you alright?"

Her breath caught in her throat; not because of the flames, but because of the nickname that seemed to smoothly roll off his tongue as he looked at her worriedly. Her mom was the only person that had ever called her that. A fresh wave of sadness washed over her at the thought of her mother. Soon, if she hadn't already, she'd wake up to find her daughter missing. Her mom would be beside herself with worry.

Lucy faintly noticed the flames evaporate into thin air as Natsu grabbed both of her wrists with his perfectly normal, burn free hands. _More questions_ , she thought absentmindedly. They just kept piling high. Intense olive-green eyes filled her vision, pulling her back to reality and to the situation at hand.

"Hey. You okay?" He asked softly.

Startled, she shook her head in disbelief before pulling her hands out of his grasp and saying, "Am _I_ okay? Natsu, you were just on fire!" She quickly grabbed his hand and pulled it up to eye level with her face. "How are there no burns? Are you hurt at all?" Her voice came out panicky.

Natsu snorted, and yanked lightly on his arm so that she would let him go, a look of understanding dawning on his features. But instead of pulling his hand back down to his side, he flipped it over so that it was palm up and held out right in front of her. A small ball of fire, much more contained and soft than the previous one, came to life in his hand. "That's magic, ya weirdo." Lucy's eyebrows skyrocketed and her eyes filled with wonder. "I'm a fire dragon slayer. Fire doesn't hurt me."

Lucy was rendered speechless. Her mouth popped open as she gaped at him. _Magic?_ He couldn't possibly be serious. But there it was, right in front of her. Magic, clear as day, was happening right before her eyes. "I-I can't..I can't believe this!" She said in awe.

Without thinking, she reached out to touch the flame. If it didn't hurt him, maybe it wouldn't hurt her...maybe it wasn't actually real. Like a mirage or a trick of some sort. But it was very real, indeed, she found as her hand warmed at the close proximity of the inferno. Natsu's fingers quickly closed, extinguishing the flame.

Lucy stared at the space where the flame had just been. "Magic..." She murmured, seeming deep in thought. Her eyebrows scrunched together and her nose crinkled with concentration.

Natsu looked at her humorously. "Hey, don't think too har-"

"That's it!" She exclaimed, cutting him off. Her eyes lit up, and she bounced excitedly. "Magic! That has to be how I got here! There's no other way!"

Natsu blinked at her newfound revelation. "Well, yeah. I coulda told ya that."

She ignored him, too worked up to have him ruin her moment. "This is good, if magic brought me here, magic can take me home! Okay, now think Lucy. When have you ever met a magician?" Natsu snorted again at the word 'magician'. "Maybe mom and I met one and we didn't know it. Or maybe she recited some spell, or maybe there was some key to-OH!" She cut off abruptly, hands flying to her head. The panicked look returned to her face as she grasped her hair and glanced around wildly. She must have looked comical, but she was too worked up to think about that. "My key! Oh, God, why didn't I realize it sooner?! Natsu!" He jumped at the sudden call of his name, and almost fell backwards when she barreled towards him, bringing her face to a halt just inches before his. "Where is my key?!"

He held both of his hands up in front him as if to nervously defend himself. "Whoa, whoa, calm down, sheesh. It's right in front of you."

Lucy only looked more confused because, after all, he was the only thing right in front of her. "Wha-. No, it's-"

"Look _down_ , ya psycho." Natsu then placed his palm on the top of her head and gently pushed it forward, with a roll of his eyes.

There, hung on the chain it had been gifted to her on, was the key she had been searching for, hanging safely around her own neck. She faintly realized that Natsu must have placed it on her before carrying her to his home.

Lucy exhaled sharply, not realizing she had been holding her breath. The key sparkled against her chest, seemingly innocent of completely turning her world upside down. Lucy replayed the events that had happened in her head to the best of her memory. Everything seemed to go crazy when she had grabbed for this very same key just the night before. She remembered how it warmed in her hand and then nothing has made sense to her after that.

"What's so important about that thing anyway? Sure, it's shiny, and I know girls like shiny things, but I ain't ever seen a key like that before." Leaning down for a closer look, Natsu peered at it, making Lucy blush immensely. He was staring at the key, sure, but that just happened to be resting on her pajama top, right above breasts. Her arms flew up to cover herself and she quickly turned away from his inquisitive stare.

"Gah! What are you doing?!" She exclaimed, subconsciously knowing in the back of her mind that he was only trying to get a closer look at the key.

He scratched the back of his head as he straightened up and looked at her with confusion. "You're jumpy..." He grumbled and she immediately felt guilty.

"Ah, I'm sorry. I just-It's hard to explain. A-and I'm really, er, not used to being around, well, anyone other than my mom and..Ugh. I'm sorry!" She threw her hands up in frustration. _Get a hold of yourself_ , _Lucy_ , she thought darkly. _It's not like this is the first time you've ever talked to a guy before_. And it wasn't, she had talked to them before. Her mom had just always been around whenever she had talked to _anyone,_ not just guys. Lucy rolled her eyes at herself. _And I thought she was a doting mother...I can't even seem to function without her around_.

But that wasn't true, she declared to herself. She was her own person, capable of doing so much more than just being 'mommy's little girl'. Her mom had said she was proud of the woman she had become, and now it was time to live up to that. Lucy clenched her hands into fists, new resolve in her eyes as she turned back to Natsu.

"Sorry about that. I'm still getting used to all this. I keep thinking that maybe I'm just crazy and you're not real and that this is all going to disappear when I wake up. But I'm beginning to realize that isn't happening." She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, reassuring herself that everything would work itself out. Now was the time to think straight. She had to get her head on her shoulders and figure out what was going on and what had brought her to this pyromaniac weirdo standing before her. At that thought, a small smile tugged on her lips and she continued, "You asked about the key, but the truth is I know almost as little about it as you do. But I _think_ it had something to do with me coming here."

And then she replayed her story to him, recalling even the smallest details and thinking back to where it all began when her mom had given her the gift. They took a seat on the cluttered floor sitting across from each other, Lucy with her legs folded neatly beneath her and Natsu with his legs crossed and hands on the ground in front of him, eagerly leaning forward as he listened to her story. He'd been looking forward to hearing about her magic, after all. So he watched her quietly, listening intently until she was finished.

"The next thing I knew, I woke up in your house and the first thing I did was fall out of your hammock." She let out a breath, as if she had been running and was exhausted. Then she looked at him with an eyebrow raised. "Why do you have a hammock, anyway? Don't you have beds in this world?"

He let out a laugh. "That musta been what I heard before I came in! Too bad I was outside, that woulda been funny." He grinned at her with his big smile that lit up his whole face. It was hard for Lucy to feel offended by his remark when he had on a look like that. "But seriously, I don't get it." He crossed his arms and looked at her. "This world of yours doesn't have _magic?_ That sounds terrible. No wonder you came here."

Lucy slapped a hand to her forehead. " _That's_ the only thing you have to say? Were you even listening the entire time?"

His face turned into a pout. "'Course I was. I'm just messin' with ya." He then stood in one fluid motion, stretching his arms above his head as if they had been sitting for a long time, but Lucy knew it had only taken maybe ten minutes to relay everything that had happened. "I'm just not very good with this kinda stuff." He then leaned down and pulled her to her feet as well, an excited smile playing on his features. "Guess it's time for you to meet everyone! They'll definitely know what to do."

Lucy's eyes widened as she stared at his animated expression. "Wait, everyone? Who's everyone?" She asked nervously.

He beamed down at her with the biggest smile she had seen on his face yet. "C'mon, Luce. I'm takin' you to Fairy Tail!"

OoOoOoO

It had only taken a couple of minutes to coax Lucy out of the house, much to Natsu's surprise. He half expected her to freak out and be too scared to even want to meet anyone else. So after he had explained to her that he was a part of a guild, the number one wizard guild of Fiore at that, he had been pleasantly surprised to see Lucy take a deep breath and stand up straight, a look of determination in her eyes.

"Okay." She said to him resolutely. "Maybe someone there will know about this key."

"Alright! Let's go!" He exclaimed, throwing his fist into the air.

Now they walked on the worn trail in the woods that led from Natsu's home to the guild, Lucy fidgeting with her key and Natsu strolling carelessly with his hands clasped behind his head. She asked him questions about Earthland, and about magic, trying to get a better understanding of where she had been mysteriously transported.

"So you call this planet Earthland? Hmm. That's weird. Where I'm from we just call it Earth. You think there's a reason they're so similar?" She tapped her chin thoughtfully while Natsu just shrugged.

She continued to ask any questions that came to mind, and Natsu answered them all as best he could. It's not that he minded being asked all these questions, in fact it was really quite the opposite. He actually kind of enjoyed being asked. He wasn't always the first person people came to when needing answers, so it was kind of nice to be able to help someone out in that aspect. But he was excited for her to meet everyone because he knew they'd be able to help fill in any holes in the answers he'd given. Although he realized it rather begrudgingly, he knew he wasn't exactly the smartest person in Fairy Tail. He was pretty high up on the list, he thought with a smirk, but just wait until Lucy met Levy.

"So does everyone else spontaneously combust like you?" Lucy's voice drifted up to him, snapping him out of his train of thought.

"Wha'd'ya mean?" He asked her, confused.

She rolled her eyes and smiled at him playfully. "The fire thing, dork. Can everyone do that?"

Natsu let out a snort and looked almost offended when he replied. "Yeah, _right_. They wish they were that cool!"

Lucy giggled at him, and he couldn't help but watch her until she subsided and said, "I'm sure they do."

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

This just awarded him with another small laugh and the reply of, "Oh nothing. Something just tells me you're a handful." _Pft_. Whatever that means.

They reached the edge of the woods, light filling the area where the trees ended and the unknown, for Lucy, began. He glanced down at her, about to ask if she was ready for this, but as she stared ahead with a fierce look in her eyes, he knew without even having to ask that she definitely was. She met his gaze out of the corner of her eyes and gave him this small little smile, which he replied to by grinning widely down at her.

"Let's go! I'm starvin'!"

Lucy chuckled a little uncertainly, the only thing that gave away any sign of unease. Natsu wanted to encourage her more, to chase away any last remnants of nervousness, so he grasped her hand and, together, they ran out of the forest and into the bright opening before them.

The guild stood tall. The very building gave off a sense of honor, appearing somewhat like a cross between a castle and a battle fortress. Despite the almost medieval architecture, colorful flags and shrubbery donned the area, giving the building a more welcoming feeling. A large tapestry draped along the front of the structure bearing the same symbol Natsu wore everyday on his own skin.

The pair came to a stop right in front of the large, wooden doors, and Lucy stared, open mouthed and wide eyed, at everything trying to take it all in. Natsu placed his hands on his hips and puffed out his chest with pride, grinning up at the large structure before them. "This is it," he began while walking forward. He moved his hands from his hips to the doors and beamed back at Lucy. "Welcome to Fairy Tail!" He pushed the large doors open with ease, then waltzed in with Lucy tailing close behind.

As per usual, he cupped his hands around his mouth like a megaphone and bellowed, "HEY GUYS! I'M BAAACK!" Lucy looked horrified at his announcement which only caused him to snicker before smiling at her. "Might as well make a grand entrance." He voiced much more quietly to the blonde.

Natsu grinned reassuringly, then continued on into the building, knowing without a doubt that Lucy would follow; and into the madness they went.

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 **End chapter fiveeee! Again, I'm sorry that they didn't end up meeting everyone in the guild this chapter, but definitely next chapter! Which I'm finishing tomorrow on my day off work:) But yay! Natsu is starting to see Lucy for who she truly is, maybe? I just adore them^-^**

 **Oh my goodness, thank you for the reviews! It means so much to me, seriously! They make me want to write faster than I ever have to get these chapters out to you guys!**

 **Life Death rabidlovingfangirl** **: Firstly, thank you so much for the first review! *squeals happily* It means a lot to me! And thank you again for reading! I look forward to sharing more with you!:D**

 **FairyTailStars** **: Thank you so much! This is my first fanfic, so I greatly appreciate hearing that! I hope to continue to grow as an author while writing this lovely fic:) And I'm so glad my little Nalu already has a shipper! Yay!**

 **SunFlowerChrysalis** **: Ahh, thank you thank you thank you for each chapter review! They made me really happy! I just love Natsu's personality so much, it'd be doing an injustice to him if I didn't try to keep his personality as true to his character as possible:) Thank you a million times, I can't express how happy your reviews made me!**

 **Ahh, thank you all again so much for reading my story, please tell me what you think, give me suggestions, ask me questions, I'm all ears and I would love to hear what you all have to say:)**

 **Goodnight, my lovely readers! Next chapter will be going up tomorrow!**

 **xoxo**


	6. Alice

**As promised, here's chapter 6!:D I had so much fun writing this chapter, I love thinking of the character interactions that would go on. That guild is just so rambunctious, I hope I was able to capture a small glimpse of what it would really be like! Enjoy, lovely readers!**

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Lucy loved to read. Nothing was better than a good story, in her opinion. One such good story that she had always been enraptured by was Alice in Wonderland. Each time she read it, she was enamored with the idea of being thrown into the world of the unknown, curious as to how she would fare if it was her in those shoes. There has never been a time more accurate than now that she could honestly say she knew exactly how Alice must have been feeling. Because here she was, completely surrounded by the unusual, the bizarre, and the somewhat mad new world she found herself in. She had just stepped directly into the rabbit's hole and she was unsure if she was ever coming out.

As soon as Lucy and Natsu walked into the guildhall together, the room erupted into chaos. There were so many voices and faces swarming around her that at first she couldn't comprehend any of it. Bits of jumbled sentences from different voices swirled in her head as Natsu pulled her eagerly forward.

"Great, there goes the peace and-"

"Hey, Natsu! How was the-"

"Wait, is that a-"

"Who's that with-"

"-doing with a hottie?"

"Did Natsu kidnap someone again?"

Everyone seemed to talk over one another and all at once. Lucy couldn't keep up, much less try to connect a voice with the sea of faces before her. Instead, she took a look around the room to try to get her bearings.

Long, wooden tables sat in rows in the hall, filled with different groups of people all staring at them. A bar, which is where her and Natsu seemed to be headed, was built along the back wall, with plenty of bar stools lined in front of it, several of which were holding even more people whom were turned towards them as well. One person, a girl with silver-white hair, stood behind the bar looking at her questioningly, and a very small, white haired old man with a strange looking staff sat right on the bar top facing her direction. Lucy's gaze flickered around the hall nervously, avoiding the eyes of everyone that was staring at her, only able to make eye contact with Natsu when he looked back at her happily to make sure she was still following. He stopped when he saw her expression. She must have looked pretty freaked out, because Natsu's smile vanished and he glared around the room at every single person he saw.

"Hey! Shut up!" He demanded to the room, and everyone fell silent. "Haven't ya ever seen a girl before?! Quit freaking out and starin' at her like a freakin' zoo animal and come introduce yourselves like normal human beings!" Lucy knew she must have been bright red from head to toe after that. Was that necessary? Although she didn't quite think so, she still appreciated Natsu for that little speech in the back of her mind.

All at once, the guild hall seemed to moved.

"Natsu brought a girl home!" She heard a squeal of excitement from the direction of the silver haired bartender.

People lined up in front of her, all waiting their turn to introduce themselves or shake her hand.

"Hey there, little lady! Sorry for starin'." Apologizes a man who introduced himself as Macao. "This is my son, Romeo. Nice to meet ya!"

"Yeah, sorry for starin'. It's just rare to see our little Natsu bring home such a pretty lady!" A man sporting a strange hairdo and smoking a large cigar appeared beside Macao and called himself Wakaba.

"Yeah, rare as in _never_. There's a first time for everything, I guess!" Replied someone else, pushing aside Macao and Wakaba to shake Lucy's hand. "My name's Max. Now tell me, did Natsu do something inappro-ack!" He was cut off by a chair smacking into the side of his face, sending him flying across the room.

Lucy's eyes nearly bulged from her head as she stared from the jumbled mess of limbs that was Max to Natsu who stood with his arms crossed over his chest, whistling and looking up at the ceiling innocently. "Did h-he just _die?_ " She sputtered.

"Nah, he's fine. That kinda stuff happens all the time around here." Slurred a girl that had appeared beside Lucy. As if to reassure her, Max sprang to his feet, seemingly unharmed besides a very red cheek.

"Natsu, what the hell was that for?!"

"What?! I didn't do it, ya turd! But even if I had, you sure as hell deserved it!"

Lucy's attention was reluctantly dragged away from the full on brawl that had just broken out as she turned back to the woman that had draped her arm across the top of Lucy's shoulders. "Name's Cana." Came the girl's voice, sending the bitter aroma of alcohol into Lucy's senses. It was then that Lucy noticed the giant jug of mystery liquid held loosely in Cana's other hand held down by her side. "So whatcha doin' with that little fireball, huh?" Cana began to steer Lucy towards the bar stools with a surprisingly strong grip for someone who was clearly intoxicated.

"No fair, Cana!" Someone with a necklace of skulls shouted, standing in front of a large bulletin board with tons of fliers pinned to it.

"Can it, Nab! Pick a job already!"

Another chair flew through the air, and Lucy had to look away before it could collide with anyone. What. The. Hell.

Lucy nervously opened her mouth to reply to Cana, but before she could get a word out she was interrupted by a pair that had walked up to the bar beside her.

"Hi, it's lovely to meet you. I'm Bisca." smiled a girl with seafoam green hair and a cowboy hat. She then pointed to the dark haired boy beside her and said "This is Alzack."

He murmured a shy hello and gave Lucy a small smile.

"Hi. I-I'm Lucy." She smiled back at them both, relieved that she was having a somewhat normal introduction with these two. That is, until Bisca was accidentally shoved by the person named Nab, and Alzack immediately jumped to defend her by pulling out a gun and started shooting at anyone causing a ruckus. Lucy could have sworn her soul had left her body, when she heard a sweet giggle come from the other side of the bar.

Appalled that someone could giggle so sweetly at the sight of people being shot, Lucy slowly turned to get a look at who the culprit was. Leaning across the bar was the silver haired girl, looking over at Lucy warmly with large blue eyes. "It's okay, it's just a BB gun." The girl said with a calming and caring voice. "They would never try to seriously harm one another." She then extended her hand towards Lucy. "I'm Mirajane. Nice to meet you Lucy."

Lucy visibly relaxed at hearing this, and reached across the bar to shake Mirajane's delicate looking hand, almost squeaking at how firm of a handshake the girl actually had. How strong were these people?

It was then that the person sitting in the bar stool on the other side of Cana leaned backwards to peer around her at Lucy. "Hey, there, pretty lady." The man had an aura about him that said he wasn't to be fucked with, adorning reddish orange hair and a scruffy face. Not scruffy in a bad way, Lucy couldn't help but note, just more like a five o'clock shadow type thing. But he also seemed old enough to be her father, which was proven true when Cana smacked him on top of his head and slurred up at him, "Back off, dad. She's like my age!"

" _Canaaa!_ " He drawled out. "I was just gonna introduce myself!" His voice took on this whiny tone as he grabbed his daughters hands and kneeled before her, seeming to beg for her forgiveness.

With a roll of her eyes, Cana turned back towards Lucy. "Allow me then. Lucy, this is my deadbeat dad, Gildarts." Lucy was sure Gildarts had burst into tears. What happened to that foreboding feeling that man gave off earlier?

"H-hi there."

Finally, the little old man that had been sitting atop the bar stood and walked across the bar top until he stood directly in front of Lucy, effectively distracting her from the father-daughter antics that were happening beside her.

The elder scrutinized her from top to bottom; whether he was trying to evaluate if she was a threat or just simply checking her out, Lucy wasn't sure. She could only tentatively smile up from where she sat on her stool and hold out a shaky hand towards him, taking the initiative. Feeling as though she had been thrown to the wolves, she wondered vaguely _where is Natsu?_

Ask and you shall receive, or so the saying goes, because next thing she knew there was another arm -this one strong and muscular- draped across her shoulders, weighing her down slightly, and a head full of rose pink hair was leaning against hers. She couldn't help but feel her cheeks burn at the contact, and noticed bemusedly that he didn't even so much as have a scratch from the brawl he had just been in, ruffled hair the only sign of the roughhousing. "Hiya, Gramps!" He said cheefully, then proceeded with, "This here's Lucy." Big grin. "She's an alien and we need to help her fix her spaceship."

Upon hearing this, Lucy, and a few others from the sound of it, slapped their hands to their foreheads. "Uhh, Natsu." Mirajane started hesitantly. "I don't think-"

"Why is everyone lookin' at me like that?" Natsu grumbled. "It's true!"

The old man sighed before looking at Lucy appologetically. "I'm sorry about m'boy here, what he pro-"

"Actually," Lucy began with her head down and her eyes peeking up out from under her lashes. "He could be kind of right. I'm definitely not from this planet, at least. And I really need help figuring out how to get home, wherever that is." She finished in a rush, holding her breath after she was done, nervous of the reactions she may receive.

"Told ya so." Natsu added with an eye roll.

Lucy huffed at this and poked him in the side, causing him to jump about five inches off the ground. _Hm, Natsu, ticklish? Jot that down_ , Lucy thought in the back of her mind. "But I _don't_ recall coming here on a spaceship, or even telling you that, Natsu." She glared at him.

"'Course ya did. It's that key thing, right?" He said while looking down at his hand, apparently examining something caught in his nail.

 _Oh_. Makes sense.

The man in front of them alerted Lucy again of his presence by clearing his throat. "Well this is an interesting predicament indeed. Sorry I doubted you, boy." His voice held a kind of authority that everyone listened to intently. He looked into Lucy''s eyes. "My name is Makarov and I am the master of this here guild. It's nice to meet you Lucy. I hope Natsu has been helpful with you so far and not caused too much trouble." His eyes flashed with warning at Natsu.

Lucy stuttered, "Oh, y-yes. I mean no! He's been fine. I'm actually very thankful that he found me. I don't know what I would have done without him."

Something about Lucy's remark apparently made Mirajane very happy as she giggled and leaned over the bar to whisper something to Cana. Lucy pushed that out of her mind as she tried to focus her attention on Makarov.

He examined her for one more second, then broke out in a warm smile. "Well, Lucy, you came to the right place. Fairy Tail's number one mission is helping others! My little youngsters won't stop until we've figured out precisely what is going on." His affection for the guild members was evident in his tone. "Now, Natsu mentioned a key. Would it happen to be the one that is resting there on your chest?" And for the second time today, someone leaned their face down into the personal bubble of her breasts in order to ogle at 'the key'.

Lucy shrieked, covering herself while Natsu flicked Makarov on his forehead. "Oi, Gramps."

Makarov grinned sheepishly and opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by the voice of someone Lucy hadn't yet been introduced to. "You'll have to excuse the men of our guild." The bold voice belonged to a gorgeous red head with piercing eyes that could shoot right through someone. She was dressed in armor from the waist up, giving off an even stronger message that she wasn't to be messed with. Her piercing gaze shot down at Makarov and he seemed to shrink even small. "You'd think they were all raised by wolves." Looking back at Lucy, her sharp features smoothed out and were replaced by a kind smile. "I'm Erza Scarlet. I give you my word that I, along with these worthless men, will help you. Even if I have to work them to death." The entire guild hall seemed to gulp at once.

"Aha ha, n-no, no, that won't be necessary." Lucy laughed nervously with her hands held out in front of her. "I think just normal, nonfatal work will be enough." She put her hands back down in her lap and added, "But thank you. It really means a lot that you all are willing to help me." She looked around at all of the smiling faces she had been introduced to. "I really don't know how I'd get any of this figured out on my own."

It was Natsu that grinned at her the widest, showing off sharp canines that Lucy hadn't noticed before. "That's what we're here for, Luce! Told ya they're all awesome!" He then did a quick scan of the room before looking back at Makarov. "Where's Levy, Gramps? Figured she'd have somethin' in that big brain of hers that could help."

It was a pair of depressed looking guys sitting alone in the corner of the hall that answered. "She's out on a job." The one with red hair and a ponytail said gloomily.

The heavyset one with black hair piped in. "Yeah, with _Gajeel._ " the boy groaned, saying the name as if it were a dirty word.

Erza chimed in as well. "Don't mind them, Lucy. They're just feeling a little envious right now."

" _Erzaaa!_ " They moaned in unison. "So mean!"

Her tone turned dark when she glared at them and continued speaking to Lucy as if they hadn't uttered a word. "They surely didn't mean to offend you by not properly coming to introduce themselves." Erza's voice seemed to hold many layers of threats and the pair squeaked, then stumbled over themselves to make their way to Lucy quickly.

"We're sorry miss! We didn't mean it."

"Yeah, sorry. Nice to meet ya!"

"I'm Jet, he's Droy!"

"We're part of Team Shadowgear!"

"Yeah, us and Levy! She's our leader."

"She's amazing. That's who your looking for, right?"

"Of course she's looking for her, Levy's awesome!"

"Yeah, she is! And she should be back any minute!"

They spoke each sentence back to back, not allowing Lucy any time to reply, instead only able to gape as they continued back and forth.

"Then Team Shadowgear is back in action!"

"Let's just hope that metal face doesn't steal her again."

"Yeah, we gotta show Levy that we're the best!"

"Yeah, I'll show her I'm the best!"

"What do you mean you?! I meant me!"

"Well, at least you're better than that lug nut of a brute she's with."

"Awh, you're better than that barbaric hunk of metal too!"

Lucy heard Natsu snort and murmur "Here we go..."

As if on cue, the huge wooden doors to the front of the guild slammed open, light shining in and revealing two silhouettes in the archway. One was incredibly tall and brawny-seriously, was this guy more buff than superman?-and the other was short and petite.

"What was that just now, twerps?" came the menacing voice of the taller figure.

Jet and Droy jumped together and seemed to faint simultaneously.

" _Gajeel_ , be nice. They probably just missed me."

The pair walked further into the guild and Lucy got her first good look at them. The girl, Levy she presumed, was looking up at the guy beside her disapprovingly. She had short blue hair, held back by an orange headband, and a matching bright orange dress. The guy beside her, Gajeel, seemed her opposite in every way; tall, thick, rugged and dangerous looking, with pitch black hair and many piercings adorning his face. He looked like someone Lucy would never want to be caught on the bad side of. But then, this seemingly hostile man simmered down under the glare that was being given to him by this short, little girl.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say shrimp."

The duo made their way over to the bar where Erza greeted them with an amused expression. "Welcome back Levy, Gajeel. How was the job?"

Levy huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "We caught the train robbers and everything was fine until this dummy decided to start chowing down on the train track! Now we owe more money to the railroad company than we made for our reward!"

Gajeel folded his arms as well and growled back at her, "I was hungry, woman! Maybe if you'd'a packed more screws and bolts in that bag'a yours then I wouldn't'a had to resort to that!"

"Think with your head and not with your stomach for once, you big lug!"

"Ahem." Makarov cleared his throat loudly, sending a seething look towards the duo. "Pushing aside the fact that you hoodlums are costing me even more money than you're worth," The old man had to wipe some tears from his eyes before continuing. "You're also making a terrible first impression in front of our new guest."

Gajeel only replied with a 'hmph', obviously not too worried about first impressions. Levy, on the other hand, completely changed. Her hostile look wiped itself from existence and was immediately replaced with a bright, welcoming smile as she looked at Lucy. "Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't see you there!" Her very aura seemed to glow cheerfully as she shook Lucy's hand with enthusiasm. "I'm Levy McGarden! What's your name?"

Lucy blinked at this girl, then gave a wide grin as well. No longer feeling nervous at all, Lucy told her "Hi, I'm Lucy!" She returned the handshake with just as much enthusiasm. "It's nice to meet you all." And Lucy realized she meant it.

As bizarre, unusual, and somewhat mad this new world was, she couldn't help but feel as curious as Alice surely had been in Wonderland. Something inside of Lucy seemed to be blooming, as if a locked away part of her soul was finally able to uncurl and stretch itself out in her body. The feeling warmed her, giving her a strange sense of wholeness that she had never felt before. Yes, she had fallen straight down the rabbit hole and she wasn't at all sure if she would be coming back out. But would she really want to?

* * *

 **Anddd, fin! Finally, Lucy is thrust into the world of Fairy Tail! No matter how crazy they are, she just can't help but like them! But who wouldn't, am I right?**

 **Yay! This is my longest chapter yet! It was just so easy to keep writing with all that character interaction!**

 **Anyways, tell me what you think! Your opinion matters most!:D Also, if you notice any grammatic errors, please point them out! I sometimes find it hard to edit my own work without zooming through it too quickly. Again, thank you so much for reading! You guys rock! Xoxo**


	7. Breadcrumb Trails

**Here we go, Chapter 7! Two chapters in one day, sheesh, my fingers hurt from their excessive keyboard tapping! Just kidding:) Hopefully I'll be able to post more tomorrow! But for now, enjoy!:D**

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Lucy seemed to merge right in to Fairy Tail seamlessly, or maybe they were just that accepting of everyone. Once Levy had been made aware of the situation at hand, her eyes began to sparkle with curiousity. There weren't a lot of mysteries that she couldn't solve and she sure loved a good challenge. Bouncing with her barely contained excitement, Levy called over to a table of four that hadn't yet made their way over to introduce themselves to Lucy, wanting to give her a little breathing room in their chaotic hall. She was then made acquaintances with the Thunder Legion, another team within the guild. Bickslow took off his helmet when he introduced himself, revealing strange face tattoos that made Lucy positive that she wouldn't forget who he was. Evergreen seemed friendly enough, despite Levy's warning to never look her in the eyes when she wasn't wearing glasses. Laxus, their leader, was built a lot like Gajeel and he gruffly introduced himself with his arms crossed, completely oblivious to the loving gaze he was receiving from their fourth member, Freed. Levy filled Freed in on Lucy's story, claiming that together they would be the two most likely to figure out the situation.

Natsu scoffed at this. "What makes you think I won't figure it out first?"

Levy and Freed gave him a look that would make anyone on the receiving end of it immediately want to enroll into school. Well, anyone but Natsu. He just threw his hands up in the air and exclaimed "I'm serious! I'll do it, just you watch!"

Before anyone could reply, the doors to the front of the guild hall were yet again slammed open and Lucy wondered how they didn't fly off their hinges after so much abuse. Another duo stormed through the archway, heading straight for the bar, while three little cats with wings flew through the door as well, heading in the same direction as the pair.

"Hey, ash face, what the hell did you do now?!" Roared the male that had now reached the bar top. Lucy's face heated up immediately at the sight of him, not because he was attractive but because he was wearing nothing but his underwear.

Lucy let out a squeak and covered her eyes. Natsu, on the other hand, jumped to his feet to stare back intimidatingly into the naked boy's eyes. "Where the heck you been, ice princess? And what kinda greeting is that supposed to be?!"

Someone was fluttering around the unclothed boy uncertainly, holding an armful of fabric. "Gray-sama, your clothes." The blue haired girl said softly, holding out the jumbled mess to the boy. Lucy thought she was cute, but since it was the middle of summer she wondered if the girl was too hot in her blue winter dress and matching hat.

"Shit!" The boy, Gray, yelled out, just then appearing to notice his clothes missing. He snatched the pile from the girls hands and began to yank on his pants. "When'd that happen?" He distractedly wondered aloud.

"Hey, stripper, don't go tryin' to get out of what you just started!" Natsu shouted out.

Gray, not bothering to button his shirt up, got back into Natsu's face. "I'm not tryin' to get outta nothin', flame brain! Juvia and I ran into Happy while we were training. What the hell is this I hear about you kidnapping someone again?!"

Lucy sucked in a breath, realizing nervously that this fight was about her. She was about to speak up and come to Natsu's defense when Happy shrieked in the air above them.

"AHH! Gray, that's the crazy lady!"

A vein throbbed in Lucy's head and she had to remember to stay calm. Happy's little shout, of course, brought all of the newcomers heads swiveling her way. Natsu and Gray paused, their hands still tightly clenched around the front of each other's shirts.

It was Erza who spoke up, a dark aura seeming to surround her. "Happy. Did you just insult our guest?"

Happy screamed and flew behind a white cat to hide himself. "Charle, help! Now there's two crazy ladies."

Erza eventually chased Happy out of the guild, allowing Lucy to properly be introduced to the rest of the newcomers. She knew from the start that Gray and Natsu had some sort of vendetta against one another, but it also wasn't hard for her to figure out that the blue haired girl, Juvia, was completely head over heels for Gray. Or maybe just obsessed, she wasn't sure which. The white haired female cat was named Charle and Lucy learned that she was partners with a young wizard named Wendy whom wasn't currently at the guild. The black haired cat with the scar above his eye was named Pantherlily and he belonged to Gajeel. Lucy wasn't too surprised by this, they seemed to be the perfect match for one another. Gray had embarrassedly apologized to Lucy for freaking out, which caused two things to happen at once; Juvia peered at Lucy with huge eyes and menacingly murmured 'Love Rival' while Natsu shoved Gray roughly and yelled 'Where's my apology?!'.

While the boys brawled once again, Levy, with a roll of her eyes, drew Lucy and Freed towards one of the abandoned tables in the hall so they could discuss the problem that Lucy faced.

After the introductions were all out of the way, some of the guild members immediately started brainstorming ideas of how to help Lucy, but none more so than Levy. The two girls hit it off right off the bat, and eventually their conversation flowed from consisting of ideas about the key to talking more about themselves. Although it was off track, Lucy didn't mind too much. Levy was just so easy to like.

"No way, you like to read too?! Finally, someone cute, with good taste _and_ intelligence!" Levy cheered happily, earning Lucy a glare from Gajeel. She got the feeling that Gajeel wasn't a fan of anyone that could steal Levy's attention away from him. This reminded her a lot of Jet and Droy, but if she valued her life she knew she could never let Gajeel know that.

Levy was now in the middle of explaining to Lucy about the basics of solid script magic when Freed perked up on the other side of the table. "Perhaps this is another situation with Edolas."

Levy tapped her chin thoughtfully, then shook her head. "No, can't be Edolas. Lucy said that in her world, no one knows anything about magic at all. Even though magic is limited in Edolas, everyone definitely still knows of its existence."

"Ah, you're right." Freed agreed, thinking deeply once more.

Natsu, having been torn apart from his fight with Gray by Erza, was sitting in the spot beside Lucy, looking rather bored, with his head resting on his arms and leaning over the table. He gave out a big yawn then turned his head to look up at Levy. "Too bad it's not one of those silver or gold keys. We at least know what those do." He mumbled sleepily before sitting up and stretching, cracking his back loudly.

Lucy wondered silently as to what Natsu was talking about, but was distracted by Levy before she could ask. Levy had become stock still, eyes wide with realization, staring speechlessly at Natsu. She then suddenly bolted to her feet. "Natsu, that just might be the smartest thing you've ever said!"

Levy excused herself by saying that she had an idea, promising that she would return as soon as possible. She practically flew out of the guildhall, leaving everyone looking after her with curiousity.

"Really?" Natsu remarked while scratching his head, clearly already have forgotten exactly what it was that he had said. "Heh, well, I told her I'd be the one to figure it out!" Lucy watched him with amusement, a small smile playing on her lips. She suddenly felt very appreciative of Natsu. If not for him, she wouldn't have met these wonderful people that were so willing to help her.

Lucy opened her mouth to express her gratefulness, only to be interrupted by Mirajane bringing over a large tray of food. "You must be starving." She said sweetly, sitting down the tray in front of Lucy and Natsu. "And I know he's always hungry, so I made sure to make plenty."

"Alright, Mira! You're the best!" Natsu howled happily, and promptly began eating from one of the many plates before them.

"Thank you so much, Mirajane." Lucy said sincerely. "But this is so much! You didn't have to make all this." The tray before her was filled with so much food it looked a feast.

"Call me Mira. And you haven't seen how that one eats. You'll be lucky if he leaves any for you, so you better dig in." She finished with a giggle and a warm smile before walking back to her position behind the bar.

Sure enough, Natsu had already scarfed how two full plates of food. But surprisingly, he had stopped eating and was looking at Lucy expectantly.

Taken aback, she stuttered, "W-what is it?"

"You travelled through space, ya gotta be starvin'." He began casually, then pushed the tray towards her. "Pick out whatever you wanna eat first."

Gray literally fell off of his bar stool due to shock and Lucy heard Mira give a little squeal. Happy, who was now sitting across from them, snickered mischievously, holding his little paws up to his mouth. "In loooooove." He murmured behind them.

Lucy coughed at this, immediately turning red and wanting to chase the little blue cat out of the building like Erza had earlier. Natsu just looked annoyed, like he wanted to get back to the food. "Shuddup, Happy."

The two ate together in silence, Lucy enjoying the time to think. She would just have to thank Natsu later, when she was sure the cat wouldn't be around to make fun of her for it. When the tray was finally cleared, much to Lucy's bewilderment- _where did it all go?_ -Makarov made his way back over to them.

"How are you doing, Dear?" He asked her with a caring tone.

Lucy smiled brightly at him, completely different from the nervous girl she had been when she first walked in. "We haven't really made any breakthroughs Master Makarov, but Levy might have an idea thanks to Natsu."

"Just Master is fine. It's less of a mouthful for you." Makarov began, then seemed to do a double take. "Wait, _Natsu?_ " He asked incredulously.

"Oi, Gramps, why'd ya gotta say it like that?" Natsu huffed, grumpily folding his arms. "You guys must think I'm stupid or somethin'." He complained as if this was the first time it had dawned on him that anyone thought this.

Lucy gave a little chuckle before saying, "I don't think you're stupid at all Natsu." A few people muttered excitedly and Lucy quickly corrected herself. " _No one_ does. I mean, I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you."

Happy snickered again and Lucy almost threw a cup at him. But Natsu just blinked at Lucy a couple of times, mouth popped open silently, before his face broke into that huge, sharp toothed grin.

Lucy felt heat raising to her cheeks again, but was spared having to say anything else when Makarov spoke up to continue his conversation. "Well, erm, that aside, I think it would be very beneficial for you to meet someone else that may be able to help." He turned his gaze to Natsu, who was still smiling brightly at Lucy. "Natsu, I want you to take Lucy to meet Porlyusica."

Immediately, all traces of a smile were wiped from Natsu's face and replaced with horror. " _Whaaat?_ You can't be serious, Gramps! Why me? What'd I do wrong?!"

Makarov's gaze hardened on him. "Natsu. Wasn't it you that said that you'd help Lucy, no matter what it took? Are you backing out from your word?"

Natsu seemed unfazed by the glare he was receiving from Makarov but he looked incredibly ticked off by what had been said. "'Course not! I wouldn't break my word!" He pushed himself up from where he was seated. "I just don't see how that witch is gonna be any help." He grumbled before helping Lucy stand as well. "C'mon, Luce. The devil's waitin' on us."

Lucy felt a little nervous as Natsu led her back out of the guild and into the sunlight. Why was he so worked up about meeting this person? Were they that bad? Her mind swam with questions but she pushed them all away as they walked back into the forest, following a different trail than before. She now knew without a doubt that Natsu wouldn't take her to meet someone if they were that terrible, meaning she really had no reason to worry. So together they walked, chatting happily away with one another in the shade of the trees, heading towards this supposed 'witch's' house. Lucy couldn't help but think of the story of Hansel and Gretel with a little bit of amusement. It was probably too late for them to leave some sort of breadcrumb trail. _Oh well_ , Lucy thought with a smile, and further down the rabbit hole they went.

* * *

 **Yay! Lucy has finally met most of the guild members! A few meetings are still coming up, of course, so stay tuned! Next chapter will have some more plot development and a few revelations about Lucy!:D I'm looking forward to writing it, hopefully I'll get it posted tomorrow!**

 **Anyways, thank you so much for reading! I hope you're enjoying it so far:)**

 **Also, I got a couple more reviews but for some reason I can't read them! D: I have no idea why, but to whomever it was thank you so, soo much! Hopefully I'll be able to read them soon, maybe I just have to log out and log back in..But please, tell me what you think! Let those opinions of yours fire away!:D**

 **Have a wonderful night, readers!**

 **xoxo**


	8. Witches, Wizards, and Wisdom

**Chapter 8 is here! Yay!:D So I made a change to the title and rewrote my summary with the help of SunFlowerChrysalis! Thank you so much for the advice, it was wonderful and greatly appreciated!:D Hopefully everyone likes it as well!**

 **Anwways, here ya go! Enjoy:)**

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Porlyusica's 'house' was hidden away in the woods, even further from civilization than Natsu's. To Lucy's delight, she had found that the woman's home was actually more of a giant hollow tree, big enough to have been cleared out and turned into a living space. It looked like it had come straight out of a fairy tale, which Lucy felt was ironic considering she had compared their journey there to Hansel and Gretel's famous travels. She immediately decided that the long trek was worth it just to be able to see this quaint little home, but out of pure curiosity she had still questioned why the woman lived in such a secluded area. Natsu had only grouchily grumbled 'you'll find out soon enough'.

And she certainly did. Upon reaching their destination, Natsu had taken the liberty to knock loudly on the front door of the little treehouse. Before his fist had finished it's fourth rap, the door swung open on its hinges revealing a very sour looking older woman with pink hair and sharp red eyes.

"What!?" The woman shrieked impatiently. "What do you little twerps want?!" She seemed beyond irritated by the very presence of the pair on her doorstep.

"Eep!" Lucy squeaked and ducked behind Natsu, earning herself an eye roll.

"Master's orders, Granny. It's not like we wanna be here." Natsu snidely remarked with his arms crossed.

Lucy's jaw dropped open and Porlyusica's eyes bulged, then darkened sickeningly. "What did you say, you little brat?!"

Lucy smacked herself on her forehead and silently cursed Natsu's carelessness. Porlyusica, however, was not silent in cursing him. "Have some respect for your elders, you ingrate! I'll have you know I've saved your life on _multiple_ occasions, you should grovel before me! Oh, that old man is in for it, who does he think he-"

"Grandeeny?" Came a sweet little voice, effectively cutting off Porlyusica's rant. "Who's here?"

The older woman visibly softened at the voice, but still looked extremely annoyed. "I told you not to call me that, girly." She grumbled as a cute little girl poked her head out the doorway.

Lucy wanted to squeeze the girl, she was so adorable! She had long blue pigtails with what looked like cat ears decorating each one, and big brown eyes. She also had the same mark on her shoulder that Natsu had, only hers was blue, and Lucy wondered how someone so young was allowed a tattoo.

The girl sheepishly replied "Oops, sorry. I don't realize when I say that." Her sweet eyes then turned towards Natsu and Lucy. "Oh hey, Natsu! Who's this?" The girl smiled happily at them, making Lucy like her even more.

"Yo, Wendy!" Natsu greeted affectionately and Lucy couldn't help but think of them as big brother and little sister. "This is where ya been? No wonder Charle ain't with ya. Don't know why you'd wanna hang out here though." _Oh no_ , Lucy groaned in her head. _Shut up, Natsu!_ "You might wrinkle prematurely if you hang around the old crone too long."

Lucy punched him in the arm before he could dig them an even deeper grave. But she was too late.

"What did you say, you little brat?!" Porlyusica cawed, face contorting once again with rage. "You ungrateful little monkey! I never-in all my-THIS IS WHY I CAN'T STAND HUMANS!"

 _Ahh_ , Lucy screamed internally. _We really are going to be eaten!_ She cowered once again behind Natsu while Wendy merely looked concerned.

"Makarov will not hear the end of this! How dare he send these little hoodlums to my home!" She pointed accusingly at Natsu and Lucy. "This little pipsqueak of a celestial mage is one thing, but the walking fire hazard is a whole different story!" Lucy gasped and came out from behind Natsu. Without thinking, she inched her way over to the elder woman until she stood right before her and waited patiently, not daring to interrupt her. "I am going to show him my wrath, he'll think twice before sending these little-what are you looking at, girl?!" Porlyusica cut herself off angrily, now glaring at Lucy.

"I'm very sorry ma'am," Lucy began, trying to put as much sincerity into her tone as possible. "But what is it that you just called me?"

"I called you a pipsqueak, got a problem with that?"

Lucy flinched, but otherwise held her ground. "Not that. Although I do take a little bit of offense to it..." She admitted and ignored Natsu's little snicker before she hurriedly continued. "The celestial whatever part. What exactly did you mean?"

Porlyusica scoffed as if she couldn't be bothered with a question that dumb. "Don't play games, girl. I know celestial magic power when I see it. Especially with yours going wild like an untamed beast."

Lucy opened her mouth, then closed it, unsure what to say. Natsu spoke up for her.

"Guess you're wrong then, Granny. Lucy here's an alien. I found her after she crashed her spaceship." He said with a wide grin. Lucy groaned as Porlyusica turned her piercing gaze on him and Wendy looked at her questioningly.

Her hands flew up into the air and she jumped in front of Natsu, cutting him off from the older woman's death stare. She let out a nervous giggle before saying, "What Natsu _means_ is Master sent us here because he thought you could help me. It seems that I'm not really from this planet. We think it's more like I was teleported here, though we're not really sure how...Where I come from, there's no such thing as magic. I would know for sure if there was, the whole world would know. So, I, uh, would really like to know what this celestial thing is that you were talking about." Lucy finished quickly, stumbling slightly over her words and worrying if she came off sounding silly or not.

The woman stared at her for a few seconds without saying a word. Her expression remained irritated when she finally said "I see. That's why the old man sent you here; he thought I might know something helpful since I was once in a similar situation." She let out an angry sigh. "Well, you better come in. We might as well sit while we talk."

Lucy had to keep herself from gaping. They'd been invited _inside?_ Porlyusica walked in without another word, followed by a cheerful Wendy who gave Lucy an encouraging smile before disappearing into the little treehouse.

Natsu started towards the door but was stopped by Lucy grasping ahold of the back of his shirt. He looked back curiously, probably about to ask what was up, but he stopped when he saw Lucy's face. She was nervous all of a sudden. She felt a little panicky for some reason she couldn't quite explain. It felt like she was about to find out something vital, some new knowledge that had been denied to her for her entire life. If that really was the case, was she ready? Would she be able to accept it? And what would she even do with the new knowledge once she had it? Her eyes seemed to hold all of these questions and concerns as they bored into Natsu's.

He looked back at her silently for a moment, seeming to read all of Lucy's doubt with one look. Then, with a look of determination, his signature grin broke out and he grabbed her hand. "C'mon, Luce. It's time to find out what kinda alien you are."

His reassuring smile and little push of encouragement was all she needed. With a small little smile of her own, she silently thanked him and then teased, "Wouldn't you like to know? You're probably just in it for the space food."

His grin widened even more and he gave her hand a little squeeze before releasing it. "That's definitely one reason!" Natsu then turned back towards the door and started for it, knowing that Lucy would be right behind him this time around.

She followed him through the doorway wordlessly, wondering about what these other reasons were, then smirking when she realized that Hansel and Gretel had also willingly walked into the witch's lair before their lives were changed forever.

OoOoOoO

The guildhall was as rowdy as ever, reminding Lucy of the first time she had stepped foot in it. There were chairs flying, shouts hollered, booze downed, and wonderful stories being told. Everyone in the guild was either lost in conversation or engaged in an argument of some sort. Well, everyone except for Lucy. She sat at the bar, along with the guild members who were causing the most commotion, silently circling her finger on the rim of her glass and completely lost in thought. Her mind was swirling from all of its new information as she, for what seemed like the hundredth time, thought back on her conversations in Porlyusica's home.

 _They had all sat together in the woman's home as she explained to Lucy the basics of celestial magic. Lucy had been intrigued by all of it, wanting to learn even more. "But I still don't quite understand..." She had said. "What does any of that have to do with me?"_

 _Porlyusica had rolled her eyes. "As I said before, I know what celestial power feels like. You're overflowing with it, whether you realize it or not."_

 _Lucy's brow furrowed. "So...you're saying I'm one of these...celestial wizards-er, mages?"_

 _"Wizard, mage, same thing. It makes no difference."_

 _At this, Lucy sputtered. "B-but, I'm sorry, but I can't be! L-like I said, I'm from a place where there is no magic. I can't be one of these mage..people."_

 _Porlyusica looked like she was growing irritated of explaining everything. "That's because you're not from that planet. Do try to keep up, I won't repeat myself."_

 _Lucy turned white as she searched for her words. Finally, she said quietly, "What do you mean I'm not from that planet? What makes you think that? I've been there my entire life."_

 _Porlyusica must have taken pity on Lucy, for she sighed and gave her a longer explanation. "You've been there for as long as_ you _can remember. You're forgetting about the time that your memory doesn't reach. No one can remember anything from their infancy." She gave Lucy a pointed look. "And I_ know _that you're not from that world because you're very clearly from this one. I can tell by your magic power. It flows through your body naturally, a deeply integrated part of your soul."_

 _Lucy's mind reeled as she wondered aloud how Porlyusica knew this when no one else at the guild had noticed._

 _"It's because I'm not from this world that I'm able to tell." The woman huffed at having to repeat that fact again, but she begrudgingly continued. "I come from a world called Edolas, where magic is limited and isn't a part of people naturally. There, people can use magical weapons and tools, but they cannot produce it from their body like someone born here is able to. It's been a long time since I was transported here through a rift between my two worlds. Since coming here, I've grown very adept at being able to sense magic power in others. I can probably sense it so well because its like a foreign entity to me. Everyone from this world has a sort of magical aura about them, each one different depending on the type of magic they wield. That's how I know what you are and where you are from."_

 _Lucy had only been able to gape at the woman upon hearing this._

She cringed now as she looked back on the memory, thinking that she had probably looked like a giant fish with her mouth hanging open like that.

 _"Even so," Porlyusica had added. "It's not everyday that you meet a celestial mage that didn't even know she was one. There aren't many of them left. Normally, the spirits that want contracts with you would have already sought you out by now." The woman had eyed her for a moment then shrugged. "Ah, well. I guess there's nothing they could have done if you were a world away from their keys."_

Lucy replayed the scene over and over again, trying to make sense of it all. Who was she? Was Porlyusica telling her the truth? She honestly wasn't sure if she even knew anymore.

"Earthland to Lucy. Hellooo." A voice filled her ears, breaking her away from her thoughts. She looked over with surprise to see Natsu staring at her, along with a couple others sitting with her at the bar.

"Oh, I'm sorry! What were you saying, Natsu?"

It was Erza that answered. "It's alright, Lucy. You've surely got a lot to think about." She said with understanding. Lucy had recalled the trip to Porlyusica's to everyone once they had returned to the guildhall, Wendy in tow with them.

Everyone had been shocked to hear the news, but no one more shocked than Lucy herself. Master had left to send a few letters out, saying that he had a few people he could contact that may be able to find further information.

Gray spoke up next, "Yeah, don't let this pyro bug you. Tell him to back off if you wanna think a little bit."

"What was that, you stripper?!"

"You heard me, hothead!"

"Gray! Natsu!" Erza's deadly tone rang out with demand.

"Sorry!" They squeaked in unison, both effectively silenced.

Lucy giggled as conversation slowly continued and the spotlight was taken off of her. She absently fingered the key on her necklace and recalled what Porlyusica had said in regards to it.

 _She had hesitantly pulled the chain from around her neck and handed it to the older woman, uncomfortable with it being away from her._

 _"Hmm. Strange. It's the same shape and size of a celestial gate key, but I've definitely never seen one like this before. I heard there were only silver and gold." She turned it around in her hands, examining it closely. She then held it out to Lucy who took it back a little too quickly. "Tell me, what does it feel like when you touch it?"_

 _Lucy looked at the key in her hands. "Warm, I guess. And my hand tingles a little bit."_

 _Porlyusica nodded, as if she had expected Lucy to say that. "As I thought. When I hold it, it feels cold. It means that the key has claimed you as its owner."_

 _Lucy sputtered again, mind reeling._

How could a key claim someone as an owner? Does that mean it held one of those spirits that Porlyusica had told her about earlier? And why on earth would her mother possess such an item? _Looks like I don't know myself_ or _my mother anymore,_ Lucy thought glumly.

"Hey Luce, you okay?" She was yet again brought to the present by Natsu, though this time he was speaking quietly to her. He looked slightly concerned. "I know it's a lot to take in and all, but..." He eyed her cautiously, as if trying to read her thoughts, then smiled. "How 'bout we go get some grub? Consider it brain food for thinkin'! On me!" He said with a wide grin, bouncing with excitement at the very thought of eating.

Gray, for the second time that day, fell off his chair from shock. Erza gave Natsu a pointed look and said "Natsu, I think Lucy just needs some time to-"

"No, I'm fine." Lucy said while returning Natsu's smile. She was warmed by the fact that he was worried about her, but at the same time she didn't want anyone to worry over her. Everyone she's met has been so gracious and helpful, she knew she shouldn't cause them to feel concerned. _Get it together, Lucy_. "Okay, lets go!" she agreed, her smile widening. "On you!"

The last thing she saw before she bounced off her barstool was Natsu's signature sharp toothed grin.

* * *

 **Ta da! I had a lot of fun with this chapter. I imagine Porlyusica to be like a cranky old woman telling kids to get off her lawn:p haha. Also, yay for slight Nalu moments! And we're finding out a bit more about Lucy!:D**

 **Tell me what you think! The good, the bad, and the ugly, I wanna hear it all!**

 **Thanks for reading! Have a great night!**

 **xoxo**


	9. A Stroll Through Magnolia

**Happy Saturday, lovely readers! Here's a new chapter to enjoy with this beautiful day!:D**

* * *

Despite the startling revelations of her past, Lucy couldn't help but become distracted from it. After all, how could her attention not be diverted from her thoughts when she had a certain blazing, pink haired wizard beside her? And, to top it off, she was still in awe and amazed by everything around her, growing ever more curious with each second that ticked by.

Soon her worries felt like a distant memory, pushed to the far corners of her mind as she watched Natsu spit a furious fountain of flames from _his mouth_. Her eyes were wide with wonder and her lips were set in a brilliant smile.

"I can't believe you're just a normal human being!" She called over to him, which brought his attention back to her and cut off his fire dragon's roar. "If anyone's the alien here, I think it's you." She teased.

Natsu sprinted over to her and gave her a pout. "Normal?! Lucyyy, that's mean!" He whined. "Take it back!"

She laughed at that, then quirked an eyebrow at him. "Oh, I'm sorry Natsu. How could I ever call you normal?" She was smirking slightly, voice filled with playful sarcasm. "I promise that you are the most abnormal person I have ever met."

Natsu grinned and plopped down beside her on the grass, hands behind his head as he looked up at the sky. "Much better. And don't you forget it!"

Lucy gave another chuckle then laid down on the grass as well, looking up to the clouds. Natsu had been very good to her ever since he had found her, but especially after they had left Porlyusica's. Seeing that she had looked a little down, he had taken her from the guild to get out and sightsee. They had started off at a little cafe in Magnolia, where Natsu ate enough food to feed five grown men; which had amused Lucy while it also bewildered her. Especially after he already ate a feast cooked by Mira earlier at the guild!

Then they had walked down the canal, Lucy balancing carefully right along the ledge, earning herself a few words of warning from some men on a gondola that were drifting along the waterway. She almost immediately fell in love with Magnolia, with it's canal and cute little shops and houses. It felt like a village from a Fairy Tale, much like Porlyusica's home. Fitting, considering the giant guild that rested right on the edge of town.

Natsu had shown her a few different spots in the area that he enjoyed; like the spot where he and Happy went fishing, and, of course, his favorite little restaurant where they served 'the best spicy chicken'. He had been close to drooling as they looked in the window of the restaurant and Lucy couldn't help but giggle.

"You'll have to take me sometime. I'd like to try the world's best wings." She'd said to him. "I don't really do spicy food, but I could give it a chance." His reply was a wide eyed look followed by a big grin.

"You got it! Alright, let's go somewhere else!" And they had continued on their exploration of Magnolia, laughing and joking, or playfully arguing the entire time. They ended up in a park where Natsu informed her that the cherry blossom trees changed colors once a year.

Lucy was thrilled by the idea, excited at the very thought of seeing the beautiful petals change hues to create a beautiful rainbow. It sounded bizarre, so surreal she was sure that she had to be in Wonderland for something that amazing to happen. Natsu had grinned at her excitement and said, "Yeah, it's kinda cool. The girls always get more worked up about it, though. I don't really get it, but it's not somethin' you see everyday so I guess I understand."

Lucy shrugged and said with a grin, "Trust me, you don't really want to know what all goes through a girl's mind. Our thoughts are a jumbled mess." She laughed then looked wistfully at the trees all around them. "It sounds beautiful though."

Natsu looked at her out of the corner of his eyes. "Well, the festival is coming up soon, maybe you'll get to see it then!" He said matter of factly, more for making Lucy happy than anything else.

She grimaced slightly when he said that, but quickly pulled herself together and smiled cheerfully at him. However, she knew by his raised eyebrow that she hadn't hidden her reaction quickly enough.

It dawned on him what he said and his eyes widened. She could hear him suck in a breath before he looked away. "Oh. Right, I forgot."

She felt her lips pull into a frown. She knew he felt bad for his slip up, but she didn't want him to. She felt grateful towards him, knowing that he had wanted to include her in the festival. Rather than feeling upset, he had actually made her feel happy. Even if she would more than likely be back on Earth by the time the festival came around, she was happy with just knowing that someone wanted her there.

Hoping to get rid of the now somber mood, she leaned over and poked him in the side, remembering that he seemed to be ticklish there. Proving her theory, he jumped and gave out a little yelp. She smirked and said, "The festival sounds great." She then nonchalantly added, "I mean, we still kind of don't really know anything about this thing," she motioned to the key on her neck. "So for all we know, you could be stuck with me forever." She grinned, hoping that he wouldn't feel bad about what he had said if he knew she wasn't upset.

She was right. He gave her a smile and said, "Oh no, what would I do then? Your weirdness might be contagious!"

She rolled her eyes then gave him a little shove. "Hardy har. Now get up fireboy, show me some moves! I know you've got a few tricks up your sleeve."

He looked at her with a confused expression, obviously not having a clue what she was talking about, which she couldn't help but find adorable.

"Your fire magic, dummy! I wanna see some of it."

This he understood, and he shot to his feet so fast that Lucy's eyes couldn't keep up with the movement. "Alright! I'm fired up now!" He shouted with a grin that showed off his sharp canines.

And that's how they had gotten to where they were now. She watched in awe, clapping and squealing occasionally, as he showed her a slew of different techniques, ending with his fire dragon's roar.

Now they laid back in the grass looking up at the clouds, enjoying the comfortable silence. It was easy to be around Natsu, Lucy realized. They were either joking playfully, talking and laughing, or peacefully silent. It didn't matter what it was, it was just easy and she liked that. His presence calmed her, which was funny because he had anything _but_ a calm personality. But it was true, nonetheless. He made her feel safe and relaxed, like being around her mother. Any thoughts including her mom usually put her in a terribly sad mood, but at that one thought alone she couldn't help but snicker to herself. Did she really just compare Natsu to _her mom_? No, no way. Absolutely not. So what if they both made her feel relaxed? She absolutely didn't have the same feelings about Natsu that she had about her _mom!_ It was just..different. But how? She wondered curiously about it while chewing on her bottom lip.

He glanced at her with a raised eyebrow when he heard her snicker but he didn't say anything, instead turning his attention back to the clouds. She felt herself blush slightly, glad that he couldn't read her mind. _Oh God_ , she thought with horror. _What if there is someone here that can actually read minds?!_ She grimaced at the idea. If there's someone that has that power then maybe not all magic is good...She decided then that she needed to learn as much about magic as possible. Now that she knew that it was a part of her, coursing through her veins like blood, she knew that learning more about it meant learning more about herself. And she deserved to know everything about herself.

Thinking about that made her feel a little betrayed. Why would her mom keep all of this from her? What made her think she had the right to not tell Lucy something that was so vital to her life? Lucy deserved to know who she was and she deserved to know that this place existed. Didn't her mom just say something to her the night before about knowing where she came from? Now Lucy couldn't help but think that that was a hypocritical thing for her mother to say. She loved this new world with all of its wackiness. She loved Magnolia. She loved Earthland altogether, even though she hasn't had a chance to see much of it yet.

Her mind circled around the question that's been bothering her the most. Why in the world would her mother leave _this_ behind for their normal, nonmagical world? Everything here was amazing, and for once in her life, Lucy felt completely whole. She realized with a start that she hadn't even known something was missing from her life. She had always just felt content. But now, after coming here and knowing what exists out there across the galaxy she wasn't sure if she would ever be able to return to her plain old life back on Earth. At least not happily anyway.

Her mom definitely owed her an explanation, and she was determined to get one. Whenever they figured out how to get her back home, that is. Although, with everyone's determination and hard work, she was sure that it wouldn't take too long. She wasn't really sure how to feel about everything. Was she sad about the thought of going home? She shouldn't be sad, not with everyone doing what they can to help her when they owed her absolutely nothing. She should be happy, for their sakes if anything.

Lucy definitely needed to make sure that everyone knew how grateful she was to them all. And speaking of grateful, she remembered then how she had wanted to thank Natsu earlier for everything he had done for her; so she rolled on her side towards him to tell him just that. She was about to speak up when she saw that his eyes were closed, his chest rising and falling slowly with his even breaths. He must have fallen asleep while she had been silently thinking.

Lucy smiled as she looked at him, wondering how tired he must have been to just pass out like that. She hadn't noticed until just then that he had slight bags under his eyes, indicating he hadn't gotten very much rest the night before.

Her eyes widened when she suddenly wondered where he had slept since she had taken up his hammock. Or did he even sleep at all? She remembered that the sun had been rising when she had first opened her eyes in this new world. She blushed furiously at the thought. _She'd stayed the night at a boys house_. Kind of...Although the circumstances were a little abnormal, she still felt flustered by the realization. Her mom would probably be furious! Well, maybe...She had never really had any discussions with her mom about boys so she wasn't really sure how her mom would feel about it. She was eighteen after all. That technically made her an adult, right?

Lucy shook her head furiously, trying to get rid of where her mind was going. She shouldn't be thinking all of this because of _Natsu_. He was a guy, yeah, but not like _that_. She told herself she was being ridiculous. _He's your friend, Lucy. Don't be weird._

Her eyes widened at the thought. Friend? Was he her friend? She wasn't really sure, she'd never really had any friendships, so she had nothing to compare this to. It'd always just been her and her mom. But as she thought back on all of the time her and Natsu had spent together laughing and exploring Magnolia, she knew for sure that that must be what it was like to be with friends.

Lucy smiled to herself. She had made her first friend. She knew she should probably be embarrassed about being eighteen and just now making her first one but she couldn't feel anything but happy about it. She realized faintly that, however strange and unusual the experience had been, this was the best birthday she had ever had. She just wished her mom was able to spend it with her, despite the fact that she was a little upset with her at the moment.

"Happy birthday to me." She hummed quietly to herself, not wanting to wake Natsu. She rolled back over onto her back and decided that a nap in the warm sun didn't sound like a bad idea. It would do her some good to give her brain a break from all of the thinking she'd been doing. She would just have to remind herself to thank Natsu later. She closed her eyes and, with a small smile, slowly drifted off into the world of dreams.

Little did she know that her new companion had incredible senses, a nice perk that comes with being a dragon slayer. Thanks to this, he always heard everything, whether he's asleep or not. _Birthday, huh? Interesting._

And so, together, the two of them fell into a peaceful slumber, both wearing a little smile on their faces.

* * *

 **Nalu chapter! I love them getting to know one another:) It's just too cute!**

 **Not much really happened this chapter, but hopefully you enjoyed a chapter just for them! Things start getting more action packed soon, so be sure to keep reading!:D**

 **And let me know what you think! I'd love to hear it:)**

 **Also, I'd like to shoutout** **SunFlowerChrysalis** **. You rock! You always make me so happy with your kind words!:D Thank you for everything!**

 **Have a great day, lovelies!**

 **Xoxo**


	10. Sleeping Beauty

**I really enjoyed writing this chapter! There was a lot more character interaction, and I just love Erza's personality!**

 **Anyways, I hope you all are enjoying this lovely day and thank you for reading!**

* * *

 _The library that surrounded her was enormous, filling her senses with the smell of parchment. She sat upon a throne made entirely of books, surrounded in all directions by a mass of people that eagerly held out novels and pens towards her. She giggled as she signed each one with her autograph, relishing in the praise and compliments she was receiving for her work. It was a dream come true._

 _Or at least she thought it was, until a voice suddenly echoed through the library. "Lucyyy." The voice drew out her name, and the world around her began to fade._

She gave a little grunt, then rolled over in an attempt to get away from the noise and melt back into her fantasy.

"Luce? Aw, c'mon, I know you hear me!" The person persisted. "Luiiigiii."

 _What?_ Her eyes slowly pried open. "Whats'di'you call me?" Lucy slurred, still partially asleep. She reluctantly pushed herself into a sitting position and turned her head to the side to find the culprit that had ruined her nap. He was squatting beside her, hands casually resting on his knees and a mischievous smile on his lips. She blinked at him a few times, then rubbed her eyes with the back of her hands and proceeded to yawn loudly.

Natsu laughed, puffing his cheeks out at her. "Knew that name'd probably wake ya up. You look hilarious, by the way."

She grumbled while stretching, extending her arms towards the sky. "How so?" She managed to say now that she felt more awake.

"You just looked so lost and out of it. Don't worry, it was hilarious in a good way." He gave her his best wide toothed grin.

She quirked a brow at him. "I looked hilarious in a good way? You could just come right out and say that I looked cute." She said with a teasing smirk.

He scoffed and averted his eyes. "Psh, yeah right." He then gave her a pointed look. "So what were you dreamin' about anyway? You seemed real into it, whatever it was."

Lucy's eyes widened when she remembered the dream, then her face turned into a pout. "Ughhh, it was heaven! Why'd you have to wake me up from the best dream I've ever had?!" If all of her dreams were that awesome, she would gladly trade places with Sleeping Beauty any day. Falling asleep for eternity wouldn't be so bad if she got to live the rest of her time in slumberland as a best selling author.

His head tilted to the side and his expression was one of amusement. "Whatever ya say, weirdo." He then stood with surprising grace and reached down to pull Lucy to her feet as well. "C'mon, we got places to be!"

She accepted his help up, her back stiffly protesting from laying on the hard ground. She noticed that the sun was already setting and realized that this had to have been considered the longest day of her life. She stretched again to loosen up her spine while she pondered where these places were that they needed to be. She opened her mouth to ask but he cut her off before she could say anything.

"Don't bother askin'. It's a surprise."

She rolled her eyes at him, but smiled nonetheless. She felt wide awake now, fully re-energized from their little snooze. "Thanks for the nap. I really needed it. I'm all fired up now." She said teasingly, giving him a smile.

He grinned back at her, thoroughly amused by her choice of words. "Ditto" was all he said before he turned around and led them back towards the guild.

Once they reached the entrance, he placed his hands on her shoulders and stopped her from entering. "Okay, wait here. Don't move."

She looked at him with round eyes, more curious now than ever before. "O-okay." _What is going on?_

He walked right up to the huge doors and rapped a special sequence of knocks on them. He then glanced back at her from over his shoulders, a wild glint in his eyes.

He waited a few seconds, then motioned her forward as he threw open the doors.

Lucy wasn't sure what to expect when she stumbled through the archway, but she definitely expected to see _something_. Instead, what surprised her the most was that she saw _nothing_. The guildhall appeared empty, no chairs flying or glasses breaking. No people laughing hysterically or passionately arguing. Just nothing.

She was about to ask Natsu what the deal was when-

" _SURPRISE!_ "

Lucy screamed. She could have sworn she jumped ten feet in the air and landed with her hand clutching her chest from shock.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LUCY!"

What Lucy assumed was different types of magic exploded all around the hall as people emerged from under tables and chairs and from behind the bar. There were different colored clouds of smoke, sparkles, and streamers that seemed to burst simultaneously.

Lucy sputtered incoherently, so shocked she couldn't comprehend what was happening. "W-wah. H-how-I don't-"

She was interrupted by Cana diving towards her. "Why didn't you tell us earlier that today's your birthday?! C'mon, we have to take a birthday shot!"

Lucy's eyes bulged. "I-I'm not old enough!" She spouted out dumbly.

The brunette rolled her eyes. "Ah, who cares! C'mon!" Cana steered her towards the bar, but didn't make it very far before they were stopped by Erza.

"Happy birthday, Lucy." She said warmly, while extending her hands out. "I would like to share this strawberry cheesecake with you." Erza's eyes then darkened and she looked around suspiciously, as if expecting a predator to attack. "But _only_ with you. If anyone else tries to touch it, they will face my wrath."

A confused giggle bubbled up from Lucy and she thanked Erza before she was whisked away by an impatient Cana. She continued to lead Lucy, now followed by Erza, to the bar, annoyed about having to stop every other foot so someone could come greet Lucy and wish her a happy birthday.

Lucy stuttered through every conversation, still reeling with bewilderment. _What is going on?_ She thought for the second time.

Cana breathed a sigh of relief once they reached the bar stools and she plopped herself happily onto one of the seats, patting the one beside her for Lucy to sit. She pulled herself onto the stool in a daze.

Gray leaned around Cana and smiled at Lucy, wishing her a happy birthday.

Lucy hoped she was wearing a normal looking smile and not just gaping at him when she answered. "Th-thank you, Gray. I don't really know what to say to all of this."

He shrugged nonchalantly with a grin. "You don't have to say anything. Just enjoy yourself. You've had a crazy ass birthday so far, that's for sure. It's the least we can do to at least make sure it ends well."

"Yeah," Cana agreed. "Everyone deserves to party on their birthday, whether they're on a different planet or not!" She then wriggled her eyebrows at Lucy. "You ready to try some intergalactic booze?"

Before Lucy could answer, the doors to the guildhall slammed open and a short little bluenette in an orange dress raced inside.

"Lucy, oh my God, Happy Birthday!" She ran all the way up to where the blonde sat at the bar and immediately grasped her hands with excitement. "Why didn't you tell us sooner?! We could have been celebrating all day! I was at my house reading through some books, trying to find something that I think I've read before that could possibly pertain to your situation. I didn't find it yet, unfortunately, but I'll keep looking, I promise! Anyways, I ran over as soon as Gajeel got to my place and told me what today was." The girl spoke a mile a minute, finishing with a huff and taking a few deep breaths to calm herself.

Lucy's confusion was starting to fade, slowly replaced by a warmth she wasn't sure she'd ever felt before. This group of semi-strangers were throwing her a _surprise_ birthday party. She had never had this many birthday wishes in one day in her entire life. Something about the fact that these kindhearted souls had gone out of their way to do this for her made her want to cry. Tears of joy, of course.

Lucy's eyes glistened as she replied to Levy. "Thank you so much. You didn't have to run all the way here." Levy was still panting slightly from the strenuous burst of speed she had put herself through to get to the guild. "You guys are seriously the best. I've never had a birthday party before. This is amazing."

Erza gasped and looked as though she had been slapped. "You've _never_ had a birthday party?" Her face turned into a look of horror and she thrust the cheesecake back into Lucy's face while bowing her head down low. "Then I want you to have the entire cake. Please. I i-insist." Her voice shook as she held the cake out with trembling hands.

Lucy chuckled, finding Erza's offer adorable; although she saw right through her. She knew without a doubt that it was taking every ounce of effort from Erza to not whisk the pastry away and devour it right then and there. "No, Erza, we can share it. _I_ insist."

Erza's head shot up and she gazed at Lucy (or the cake, it was hard to tell) with wonder. "Well," she began gruffly and cleared her throat. "If you're insisting then I guess I can't refuse. It is your birthday after all."

Lucy giggled as she turned her attention back to Levy. The solid script mage had been watching with amusement. When the two girls looked at each other, they burst into a fit of laughter.

Once their laughing fit had subsided, Lucy wiped her eyes and looked at levy again. "So how did you guys know? You said Gajeel came and told you, but how did _he_ know?"

To Lucy's surprise, it was Happy that answered when he flew down and sat on the bar in front of her, a fish grasped tightly in his little paws. "I told everyone about an hour ago!"

Lucy blinked at him. "Really? But how did _you_ know?"

He chomped happily down on his fish and answered her with his mouth full. "'Caushe I came to fine yew guysh and-" he swallowed his food. "And Natsu was yelling about getting together something for your birthday because he looooov-ow!" Happy was cut off by a finger flicking his forehead.

"Oi! That is _not_ how it happened!" Natsu said with frustration.

"Yeah-huh! You were like 'Happy, it's the crazy girl's birthday and the only way she'll like me is if we-eep!" This time, Happy cut himself off when he saw Natsu's fists light aflame.

"Is that how it happened Happy?" Natsu asked in an eerily calm voice. "Or did it happen a different way?"

"Aye sir!" Was all Happy said before snickering and flying away to find Charle, deciding not to answer either of Natsu's questions.

"Pahaha!" Lucy giggled uncontrollably, earning a sharp toothed smile from Natsu as his flames went out. When she stopped, she looked at him curiously with a dumb, happy look on her face. "So how _did_ it happen then?"

Natsu, not looking the least bit embarrassed, said, "Well, right before you fell asleep I heard ya mention somethin' about your birthday. Then I woke up to Happy poking my face. I guess he had been lookin' for us and found us sleeping. That's when I told him we should do somethin' for ya. We made some plans and he said he'd fly back and tell the guild." He smirked at her then. "It's a good thing you're such a heavy sleeper. I thought for sure you'd wake up when we were talking about it. Happy ain't exactly the softest talker."

Gray scoffed at that. "That's funny, coming from you."

"What'd you say, ice fairy? You wanna go?" Natsu scowled at him.

"Bring it on, fire ant!"

The two bickered back and forth, fists raised and ready to fight, until Erza put a stop to it, per usual. But all the while, Lucy had stared at Natsu with admiration. He had planned all of this _for her_? That was by far the nicest thing anyone had ever done for her and she was, quite frankly, dumbfounded. But she couldn't keep the gratitude off her face as she watched the rose haired boy.

He glanced over and saw her smiling warmly at him. Seemingly flustered, he mumbled, "W-what are you lookin' at?"

"Nothing. Just...Thank you, Natsu. That's the nicest thing anyone's ever done for me." Suddenly not caring who she expressed her appreciation around, she continued. "This made me so happy. You've been nothing less than amazing ever since you found me. And I'm glad that I made a friend like you." She heard Mira squeal and Happy snicker somewhere in the background.

Natsu, however, stared at her, gaping slightly. Then his face broke out into his signature smile and he enthusiastically replied, "No problem, Luce! Anytime! You're basically a part of Fairy Tail already in my book!"

Lucy hugged herself, smiling happily at his words. It felt so good to be considered apart of something, to be surrounded by people that she hoped she would soon be able to call her friends. She wasn't sure how long she would be here on Earthland, but she swore to enjoy every second of it; to enjoy every moment she had around these people.

She was distracted yet again by Cana calling over to her. "Natsu, quit hoggin' her! Lucyy, I got your shot ready!"

With one last grateful smile at Natsu, her attention was turned back towards the bar where Cana was holding out a tiny little glass with yellow liquid. "It's called a lemon drop!" The girl said with a wink. "You don't peg me for a drinker, so I had Mira make something that goes down easy."

Lucy eyed the citrus substance hesitantly. She'd only ever had a few sips of wine when her mom had allowed her to try some, so the thought of taking shots kind of made her nervous. Cana, however, clapped a hand on Lucy's back and said "Don't be scared, I got one for Natsu too! That way you can both take your first shot together!"

"Huh?" She heard Natsu's voice come from somewhere behind her. He must have wandered into the crowd after they had finished talking.

"His is fireball, 'cause he can handle the heat." She said to Lucy under her breath, then called to back to Natsu. "C'mon Natsu, don't leave the birthday girl hanging!"

Natsu appeared back at the bar with a disgruntled expression, eyeing the shot glass next to Lucy's that he presumed was for him. "Is this gonna turn me into a ragin' drunk like you?"

Cana's eye twitched but she responded by shoving the two glasses into their hands, then she raised her giant mug up to cheers them. "Bottoms up!" She happily cheered before chugging her booze.

Natsu and Lucy exchanged a look and shrugged simultaneously. "I guess one can't hurt, right?" Lucy murmured, more to reassure herself than anything.

He grinned and raised his glass up in a salute to her. "Happy birthday, Luce!" Then they gulped down their shots together.

Cana had been right, it was surprisingly easy for Lucy to swallow the mystery liquid because it tasted exactly like lemonade. The only difference was the immediate warming of the inside of her belly once she had swallowed it. _That wasn't too bad_ , she thought as she glanced over at Natsu to see how he had handled his.

He was staring at his now empty shot glass with wide, round eyes. " _That's_ what you drink all the time?!" He exclaimed to Cana. "That was _awesome!_ "

Lucy chuckled and pinched his arm. "Let's not get _too_ used to it, alright?" She said a little apprehensively.

He grinned down at her. "Don't worry, I'm around this loser" he jabbed his thumb over his shoulder towards a scowling Cana, "too much everyday to become an alcoholic. Ain't my thing!" Then his eyes gleamed with mischief. "Buuut, it _is_ your birthday. And that drink is awesome, so let's celebrate some more!" He wiggled his eyebrows and slapped his hand down on the bar top. "Mira, two more of those!" Lucy noticed with amusement that his cheeks were already turning a slight shade of red and she wondered absentmindedly if she looked the same.

Cana hollered her approval and joined them for another drink. The entire guild joined in for the festivities and booming laughter filled the hall. For the second time that night, Lucy thought _this is a dream come true_ , though this time she was actually awake rather than sleeping. She knew now, without a doubt, that she would never trade this away to take Sleeping Beauty's spot in eternal slumber. Why would she ever want to when she could have _this_ instead?

And so, for the rest of the night Lucy had the most wonderful time, partying with everyone like it was the last night on Earthland, making the longest day of her life even longer. Somewhere in the back of her mind, no matter how much fun she was having now, she knew that her last night here really could be right around the corner. And she had promised herself that she was going to enjoy every second of it before her time here was up; so enjoy it she did.

* * *

 **Yay! Like I said, this was a fun little chapter to write:) I know it's pretty common to write a 'drunk' scene, but I couldn't help myself! It is her birthday after all;)**

 **As I write more about these characters, I find myself wishing more and more that I could join Fairy Tail! That'd be the real dream come true, right?**

 **Thank you for reading! Next chapter gets serious (uh-oh!) so stay tuned!**

 **Also, if you're looking for something new to read, you should check out 'Beyond the Blindspot'! It's a new story written by MeadowofStars. It's absolutely breathtaking and tragic and it's ongoing, so be sure to follow it and stay updated!**

 **Thanks again for reading my story, lovelies! Let me know what you think! Reviews make the world go world, isn't that how the saying goes?:p haha, thank you all!**

 **xoxo!**


	11. Hazy Memories & Bedtime Stories

**Chapter 11! It's crazy to think that the chapters are already in the double digits! YAY!**

 **This one is pretty silly, with a splash of seriousness, and it was a lot of fun to write! It's a pretty long one too! Hope you enjoy!:D**

* * *

It was sometime after three in the morning when Natsu and Lucy decided to stumble their way through the forest with the hopes of going to sleep. The pair held on to one another, Natsu with his arm around Lucy's shoulders and Lucy with her arm around his waist. They supported one another while laughing, knowing full well that without the other to lean on they would definitely fall right over. Every so often Lucy would hiccup, sending Natsu into a frenzy of drunken giggles as they wobbled along the dark path.

They bellowed laughter through the woods as they continued, eventually reaching Natsu's hidden little home. When they got to the front door, they both stopped and stared.

"Uhh." Natsu scratched his head in confusion, staring at his little abode. He then looked at Lucy with a very serious expression and pointed at the structure. "How did we get here?"

Lucy blinked at the house and then returned Natsu's look with an equally somber face. "I have nooo idea." She slurred, then she scrunched up her face as she tried to think back on the events of the night leading up to this point.

She could only come up with brief flashes of memories, reminding her that the booze had actually impaired her more than she cared to admit. She tried to piece together the few memories she did have, from the beginning of the night to the end.

 _Gray and Natsu were fighting, like usual, only this time Erza was too intoxicated to break them apart (as it turns out, Erza is a lightweight) and their movements were a lot sloppier thanks to the alcohol. Gray had ripped his shirt off and threw it behind him, where Juvia had ecstatically caught it like it was a wedding bouquet._

 _Natsu huffed and said, "Oh yeah, stripper?! How do you like it when other people do it?!" and proceeded to promptly rip off his own shirt, smirking at gray._

 _Gray shouted back angrily, "Don't copy me, loser! Now I gotta take off my pants so we don't match!" He yanked off his trousers and threw them behind him as well; Juvia was fast to also catch these gleefully._

 _Natsu, however, was way ahead of him, already having pulled off his own pants. Now both boys were wearing nothing but their boxers and they stood with their arms crossed angrily. Natsu seemed determined to prove a point, but Gray refused to be outstripped. He grinned evilly at Natsu, then tore off his boxers and threw them over his head. They landed right in Juvia's hands and her nose immediately began to bleed while Lucy stared at Gray in shock._

 _Natsu gaped slightly, then took on the same evil grin and mimicked Gray's last stunt, throwing his boxers over his shoulder. Lucy let out a squeak and her hands flew up to shield her eyes, but not, of course, before seeing a lot more dragon slayer than she had anticipated seeing._

Her mind flashed to the next memory.

 _Cana had been yelling something about getting everyone to play poker. "C'monn, we can make it fun. Let's play-" she hiccuped, then continued to slur. "-Strip poker!"_

 _Lucy hastily declined and turned away but Cana didn't want to take no for an answer. She marched up behind Lucy, reached under her arms, and grasped her hands full of Lucy's breasts, squeezing playfully. Lucy squealed as Cana said, "Tell me you'll play poker and I'll let you go!"_

 _Natsu and Gray's eyes had bulged when they saw Cana groping Lucy, jaws dropped to the floor. Natsu recovered first, cackling as he ran towards the girls. "My turn!" He cheered happily, reaching his hands out towards Lucy._

 _Her eyes widened and next thing she knew her foot connected with Natsu's face and he flew across the guild hall. Cana whistled. "Damn Lucy, you have one helluva kick." She slurred appreciately, strip poker long forgotten as she watched Natsu fall to the ground._

 _Gray, however, was still staring at the girls. "Does that mean it's my turn?" He asked innocently._

 _"OI, GRAY! FIGHT ME!" Natsu roared while jumping to his feet with an imprint of a shoe on his cheek._

That memory faded, replaced by another.

 _Natsu stood on a table, laughing maniacally at Lucy. He had just bumped into her prior to this moment and she had spilled her drink all down the front of her shirt. Though it had been an accident, Natsu couldn't help but bust out laughing. He was drunk, after all. Unfortunately, Lucy had taken his laughter to mean that he had done it on purpose and she had chased him angrily in an attempt to get revenge._

 _He jumped on top of a table and Lucy was now yelling up at him from below._

 _"Natsu!" She shouted. "Get down here, you pervert!"_

 _This put a stop to his cackling and he blinked down at her obliviously. "Pervert?" He questioned with confusion. "Why'd ya call me that?"_

 _She answered by glaring at him and pointing at her now see through, white shirt. He tilted his head to the side and stared at her chest, still not comprehending what had made him a pervert. She screamed and crossed her arms over her chest to protect herself from his inquisitive eyes._ _That gesture turned on the lightbulb in Natsu's head and his eyes widened._

 _"You think I got your shirt all wet on purpose." He said more as a statement than a question._ _Then she heard "Pfft." And he burst out laughing again._

 _This brought the furious look back onto Lucy's face, though instead of yelling at Natsu to climb down this time she scrambled up onto the table with him and jumped onto his back. She attempted to give him a noogie but failed because she was too impaired to move her fist fast enough or press down hard enough._

 _Gray then made a snide comment about how Natsu was being beaten up by a girl and Natsu had yelled at Gray to fight him. Gray obliged and jumped up onto the table, followed by a red faced, slurring Juvia._

 _"If Gray-sama gets on the table, then Juvia will too!"_

 _Erza jumped up after them with the intention of breaking apart the boys fight but it ended up turning into an all out war of pushing, punching, and pulling each other on top of the table._ _Suddenly, Master's voice boomed through the hall. Everyone atop the table froze where they were, some still grasping one another._

 _"If you children don't behave, you'll be severely punished! You boys won't be allowed to take a job for a month!" The boys on the table paled. "And you girls will have to...wear maid outfits for a month!"_

 _The girls sweat dropped, rendered speechless for a moment. Before Lucy could say anything, a sickeningly sweet, dark voice cut through the air._

 _"What was that, master?" Mirajane smiled innocently before Makarov was sent flying into the air._

 _He landed on the same table that was already crowded with people and it shattered into splinters, sending the occupants atop of it sprawling to the ground in a jumbled mess of limbs. Lucy coughed and tried to move but realized she was pinned down by Natsu's body._

 _"Oops, sorry Luce!" He moved his hands to push himself up but accidentally placed them directly over Lucy's breasts in the process. Both pairs of eyes widened and people around them whistled._

 _"Pervert!" Lucy yelled again. Natsu sputtered, but wasn't given any time to say anything._

 _"LUCY KICK!"_

Lucy blushed and pushed that memory out of her head, moving on to the next one.

 _Most everyone was either passed out or had gone home. Happy, Charle, and Pantherlily were all snoozing under a table, Elfman was snoring (every so often murmuring 'manly' in his sleep), and Cana was still drinking, sitting at the bar with Gray while Mira was tidying up a bit._

 _Natsu and Lucy simultaneously complained about being tired and the question arose from Cana as to where Lucy would sleep that night._

 _"You can crash at my place if you want." The brunette had offered._

 _"Or mine!" Mira piped in happily._

 _Natsu, who had been nodding off slightly, snapped to attention. "Noooowayyy!" His words drew out together, indicating his intoxication. "I found Luce, that means I get to keep her!"_

 _Cana and Mira exchanged a look with raised eyebrows._

 _"Make sure that's okay with Lucy before you just go claiming something like that, Natsu." Cana scolded._

 _Lucy giggled and innocently drawled, "Why wouldn't it be okay with me? It wouldn't be weird or anything. We've already slept together!" She almost sounded proud as she referred to the nap they had taken earlier in the park._

 _She, in her drunken state, had no idea what it sounded like she had implied, therefore she had no idea why Gray had suddenly fallen out of his chair with a look of utter shock._

 _Mira smiled with sweet mischief. "Oh really? Hmm. Interesting. Well, you two should get going then, shouldn't you?"_

 _The sound of Cana and Mira giggling together was the last thing Lucy heard before she and Natsu had helped each other stumble out of the guild, towards his house._

Coming to the end of her clipped memories, Lucy realized that must have been how they got to their current point standing before Natsu's front door. She giggled at the memory, hiccuping as they made their way into the cluttered home. Natsu was now walking with a glazed look in his eyes, looking as if he were about to pass out right where he stood. He collapsed onto a small couch, his limbs hung off each end, and immediately began to snore.

Lucy gaped with drunken confusion. How could _anyone_ fall asleep that fast? She regained her composure, slightly, and tottered over to kneel beside him. "Natsu," she murmured softly. "Get up. Get in your hammock."

He didn't move.

"You don't even fit on this couch. That can't be comfortable." She continued.

He only grunted in response.

"Natsu, come on. Sleep in your hammock, I can take the couch."

"Uh-uh." Came his muffled reply from facedown on the cushion. "You take the hammock."

"Natsuuu." She persisted.

He groaned loudly, clearly ticked off about her keeping him awake.

"Natsuuu!" She pleaded again.

"Lucy." His voice held a deadly warning tone, clear even though it was still being stifled by the couch. " _Please_ don't make me get up and force you into that hammock."

She rolled her eyes, not scared in the least bit by his threat. However, she knew without a doubt that he wouldn't hesitate to keep his word, so she decided to let him have his way just this once.

With a loud yawn, she waded her way across the messy floor and, with a struggle, settled herself into the hammock. She yawned again and whispered, "G'night, Natsu", knowing full well that he would be able to hear her from across the room. She cocooned herself within the pillows and blankets, breathing in the strong aroma of pine trees and campfire smoke. As soon as she was comfortable, she found that she had the same ability as Natsu to fall asleep instantly. It was almost immediately after she closed her eyes that her mind began slipping away from reality. _Something smells nice_ , was the last thought she remembered having before unconsciousness claimed her.

 _She dreamt she was flying through the cool, night sky. The full moon and thousands of stars were her guide as she glided along, no real destination in mind. Sheep pranced in the air around her, keeping her company in the dusk._

 _She was running her fingers through one of the sheep's soft wool when, suddenly, her dreamscape morphed into something else, something dark and sinister. She was no longer flying, but instead falling through the sky. The sheep all vanished into thin air, and the starlight was replaced with an eerie and cold blackness._

 _A cruel man's voice filled her head, shouting unintelligibly. She flinched at the sound, afraid of whomever it came from. She then realized she had stopped falling and was now simply just hovering in one spot in the dark. Strange glowing lights began to come to life, silhouetting what seemed to be people all around her; some were hunched over, some sitting in uncomfortable looking positions, some lying down. The sound of chains clanking together rattled into Lucy's ears and she realized that these people were bound in cages and chains. They were being help prisoner in whatever hell they were in. She tried to get closer in order to see them more clearly, but every inch she made towards them they seemed to retreat._

 _She looked wildly around, counting about a dozen different shadows. She called out to them desparately, urging them to tell her how she could help them. A strange feeling had overcome her, an intense desire to free these prisoners. She knew without a doubt that she had never met them before, but something inside her burned with agony at the thought of them suffering like this. She had to free them. She had to release them from their prison. She had to-_

"Luce!" She was shaken awake, ripped from her dream without a warning. The first thing she realized was that she was sweating, the covers seeming to suffocate her. Her breathing was erratic as she threw the blankets off of her and looked over to see what had awoken her. Natsu -still looking half asleep with droopy, bloodshot eyes- was standing beside the hammock, peering down at her. "You okay?" He mumbled drowsily, while he rubbed his knuckle against his eye in an adorably tired way.

"Yeah, I-I'm fine." She took a few deep breaths in an attempt to steady her racing heart, then brushed her hair out of her face, discovering something wet on her cheeks in the process. She stared at her damp fingertips in confusion. _I'm crying?_

Natsu seemed to realize this as well. He tilted his to the side as he examined her. "You sure? You were kinda freakin' out in your sleep. You looked really scared so I woke ya up."

Lucy attempted a reassuring smile, but failed miserably. "I-it's-I just-had a nightmare. I'm f-fine." She stuttered, choking out the last word.

Natsu gazed at her wordlessly for a few seconds, his eyebrows pulled together as he tried to read her. He then grinned as though everything was normal. "Scoot over." He ordered, and without waiting for a response he climbed into the cramped hammock. They were laying with their heads at opposite ends, facing towards each other.

Lucy felt extremely hot again, realizing that he had an unnaturally warm body temperature. Her cheeks burned as she looked at him with wides eyes. "What are you-"

"Before we found you, Happy and I were on a job to catch some bandits!" He began cheerfully, cutting her off and settling into the hammock with his hands clasped beneath his head. "We heard a tip that they were hidin' out in some mountains not too far off from where we found ya. So we were searchin' for 'em for days, lookin' everywhere. We had already run outta food, so you can imagine how hungry we were! There was a moment where I thought I was going to eat Happy...don't tell him that though, I'll never hear the end of it."

Lucy stared at him as he recounted the memory. His voice animatedly described every detail and his face lit up when he got to the part where he took down the bandits. Her eyes softened as she realized what he was trying to do; or rather, what he was succeeding to do. She smiled warmly at him and settled back into the pillows, getting comfortable as she listened to his story and let herself become distracted from her nightmare.

When he had finished, laughing hysterically at the end of his own tale, she asked him to tell her some more stories about his jobs. He agreed happily, his eyes shining as he retold some of his favorite adventures. It was like this, listening to his comforting voice, that Lucy had been lulled to sleep for the second time. She thankfully fell into a sweet, black abys, with no dreams clouding her mind, completely unaware of the raging headache that awaits for her in the morning.

OoOoOoO

Birds chirped peacefully as the morning sun arose high in the sky. Mira was already behind the bar, cleaning a few glasses and humming softly. A few people were already gathered at tables, but they were all bent over, groaning or mumbling quietly while drinking orange juice in a hope to chase away their headaches.

Cana, who was the only person sitting at the bar, rolled her eyes at them before taking a sip of beer. "Pft, you guys are pathetic!"

Mira giggled before setting down a clean glass and leaning happily on the bar. "Not everyone has the liver of a God like you do, Cana."

The brunette was cut off from her reply when the doors slammed open with a loud boom, causing everyone with a hangover to moan in agony at the sound.

"I can't believe you don't even have a coffee pot in that godawful house, let alone a coffee machine!"

"What do you _expect_ , I don't freakin' drink the stuff! Why would I have something that useless to me in my house?!"

Natsu and Lucy stormed through the archway with scowls on their faces, looking extremely worse for wear with their bloodshot eyes and pale complexions.

"Half the junk in your house is useless! And who doesn't drink _coffee_?! That should be illegal! I should have you arressted!" Lucy shrieked while pointing an accusing finger at Natsu.

He flailed his arms at her. "That doesn't even make any sense!" He roared.

Cana and Mira exchanged a look.

"They sure are lively in the morning." Cana mumbled.

Mira chuckled. "They must not be handling their hangovers too well."

The pair reached the bar, glaring at anything but each other.

"Good morning, Lucy, Natsu!" Mira greeted warmly, ignoring the tense auras they were giving off.

They both grunted in response. Lucy then looked at Mira pleadingly. "Mira, _please_ tell me you have coffee here."

The white haired girl giggled. "Of course! I'll go get you some. And I'll get you both some headache medicine."

Natsu and Lucy looked at her as if she were an angel descended from Heaven.

Cana glanced at them with a raised brow. "So, what's got you two all wound up?"

The duo immediately scowled again.

" _Natsu_ apparently doesn't understand the meaning of quiet." Lucy grumbled at the same time that Natsu said, " _Lucy_ doesn't know when to shut up, apparently."

"Are you _serious_?!" Lucy exploded. " _I_ don't know when to shut up?! That's funny, coming from Mr. Oh-poor-me-my-back-hurts! You haven't stopped complaining about it since we woke up!"

"Well maybe if _you_ hadn't taken my hammock, my back wouldn't hurt so bad, so technically this is your fault! And you haven't shut up about coffee ever since you got up!" Natsu retaliated back at her.

" _What_?! You _forced_ me to take your hammock!" She screamed defensively. "And you only slept on that couch for half the night before you came crawling into the hammock with me, you pervert! So you have no right to complain about your stupid back!"

Natsu's scowl disappeared, replaced by a look of surprise. "Really? Is that how it happened?" He asked as he tilted his head.

"You've been complaining about it all morning and you _didn't even remember?!_ " Lucy bellowed, throwing her hands up in the air.

Cana laughed at them, thoroughly entertained by their argument. "Geez, you two really aren't handling the hangover well." She held her mug out to them and swirled it around. "You guys want a shot?" She asked evilly.

The pair rounded on her, turning green at the mere thought. " _Shut up, Cana!_ " They shouted in unison. " _This is all your fault!_ "

The three of them bickered as Makarov and Mira watched them with amusement. "What'd I miss?" Makarov asked bemusedly. "When did those two become an old married couple?"

Mira squealed in reply and clapped her hands together with excitement.

* * *

 **The end! Haha, you know that Natsu and Lucy would definitely argue all day long if they both were suffering from a hangover. I can only imagine how bad it would be!**

 **Thank you all for following and reading:D**

 **MeadowOfStars : You're welcome, your story deserves a ton of shoutouts!:D It's awesome! You guys do a great job on it! And thank you so much for saying all that!**

 **Life Death rabidlovingfangirl : Thank youuuu! I'm always excited to share more of this story!:D**

 **SunFlowerChrysalis : As always, thank you so much for your review! They always make me super happy! I love that you notice all my favorite parts of the chapters, that's pretty awesome! And I'm glad that you like the humor. I'm trying to get a lot of it out before things get really serious. I'm happy you can sense that coming too!:D Thank you thank you thank you!**

 **Does anyone have a guess as to what any of Lucy's dreams have been about? I'm interested in what you guys think!:D**

 **Thanks again for reading! Have a great night!**

 **xoxo**


	12. Separate Ways

**Chapter 12 is here! Yay! It feels like it took me a while to get to this one, I'm sorry! It's been a long work week:(**

 **But anyways, here's another long chapter for the wait!:D although it's not as happy and silly as the others! But, alas, they can't all be, right?**

* * *

The rest of the morning went by peacefully, aside from Natsu and Lucy's bickering every now and again. Most of the guild members were nursing headaches, so no one wanted to cause much of a commotion like usual. However, there were a few unfortunate souls that decided to poke fun at Natsu and Lucy for their drunken antics the night before. These unlucky few had no idea of the wrath that they'd just brought down upon themselves. They each quickly flew out of the guild with fear after facing said wrath, momentarily bringing the peace and quiet back to the hall once more. It wasn't until sometime later in the afternoon, after Natsu and Lucy had sworn off liquor for good, that everyone began to feel slightly normal again.

Lucy sighed in relief as she massaged her temples blissfully. "Thank heavens, my headache is finally going away."

Natsu, on the other hand, was currently shoveling down plate after plate of food as if eating would completely rid his body of the evil liquor. So far, it seemed to be working; when he turned to Lucy now, he had a huge grin on his face (along with specs of food adorning his cheeks), all previous arguments seemingly forgotten as he beamed at her. Lucy rolled her eyes, but returned his smile hesitantly.

She opened her mouth to make amends with him and apologize for their quarreling, but he was already speaking cheerfully. "Ahh, I feel so much better now that my belly's all full!" He began as he pat his stomach happily. "I'm never touchin' that stuff again, I don't care how good it tastes!" He groaned at the very thought of being drunk and, as if on cue, his skin turned a sickly shade of green.

Lucy laughed at the sight of him. "Don't make yourself sick just thinking about it! We're finally feeling better." She teased.

His eyes lit up and his complexion returned to normal as he remembered what he was going to say. "Oh yeah! Speakin' of feelin' better, whatcha wanna do today?" His sharp canines were revealed when his grin plastered itself back on his face.

Lucy, for a moment, was floored. She had kind of been sulking prior to this conversation, worried that Natsu might be mad at her. She felt a little guilty for being so irrational that morning. She had let her emotions get the best of her and had had some pretty crazy mood swings, resulting in a handful of arguments with Natsu. She knew that she had probably just been feeling the after effects of a night of drinking, but she still felt bad for how she had acted towards him. Natsu had helped her so much, and her mother definitely raised her to act better than she had this morning. There was just something about Natsu that brought out a side of herself that she had never felt before -an irrational, over-sensitive, adventurous side- and she wasn't sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing.

But as she looked at him smiling without a care in the world, she realized that this was probably how it always was in Fairy Tail. People argued, sure, but they got over it within minutes, no apologies necessary. They didn't need them because they knew there wasn't _really_ anything wrong. They were a reckless and rambunctious family. They protected each other with a burning passion and they fought each other with just as much. And Lucy absolutely loved it.

She returned Natsu's grin. "I'm up for anything. Master said that he was still waiting for replies to the letters he sent about my key, so there's not really much I can about it right now but wait." She tapped her chin in thought, then added. "You should come up with the plans though, I still don't know enough about Fiore to decide what to do."

Natsu eyes widened. "Oh yeah." He mumbled. "I almost forgot you were an alien."

Lucy rolled her eyes, but secretly felt warmed by his comment. If he'd forgotten that she was from somewhere else, then that must mean he felt like she fit in with them, right?

"I guess you also forgot that I'm not _actually_ an alien. I'm originally from this planet, dork." She jokingly said with a smirk.

His jaw dropped and his eyes widened even further as he gave her a look that said he had completely forgotten that as well.

"Oh, geez." Lucy pinched the bridge of her nose, over exaggerating her exhasperation.

Natsu then smacked his fist into the palm of his other hand and exclaimed, "I just remembered something!"

She chuckled before dramtically rolling her eyes at him. "Good for you, Natsu. There's a first time for everything!"

He pointed a finger at her and continued as if she hadn't spoken. "If you're _not_ an alien, then that can't be the excuse for you being a weirdo!"

"So you're admitting I'm not a weirdo, then?" She asked with a quirked brow.

He gazed at her very seriously and responded with, "No. Now I'm sayin' that you're just weird 'cause you're Lucy."

Before she could retaliate with a long, detailed list of reasons about how he was the weird one, he pulled her to her feet.

"Now c'mon, weirdo! I'm takin' you on an adventure today!" He then called over his shoulder towards the rest of the guild. "Happy, let's pick out a job!"

"Aye, sir!" was heard from somewhere in the distance and the little blue cat flew over to them as they made their way over to the giant bulletin board on the wall.

Lucy had noticed it before but hadn't had a chance to ask what it was. Natsu, seemingly already knowing what she was about to ask, explained to her. "This is where all the jobs we have are posted. There are all kinds of 'em; I told ya about a few of 'em last night, I think. Anyways, the best way for you to get to know the area better is to explore it out on a job!" He finished with a grin and his hands on his hips, looking proud of himself for his explanation.

Lucy looked up at him skeptically. "I highly doubt I can do all the stuff _you_ do when you're on jobs."

He scoffed. "Well duh, but that's just 'cause I'm awesome. There are other jobs, ya weirdo. Look through 'em and pick out one ya want."

Lucy rolled her eyes but turned her attention back to the board. There were fliers seeking help for all sorts of things, ranging from performing in a play, to helping the Royal army infiltrate various bandit hideouts. Her eyes scanned the board, taking note of a few jobs that didn't sound too hard, but she was soon distracted by a flier tacked up in the far corner when she noticed it was a 'missing' ad.

She felt her body move closer, almost subconsciously, until she stood face to face with the paper portrait. The boy looking back at her was handsome, with his red hair, sunglasses, and sly smile. But it wasn't his looks that had completely captured her attention. It was her sudden overwhelming feeling of sadness.

"Who's this?" She choked out.

Natsu peered at her from the corner of his eye, then followed her gaze, a job flier forgotten in his hand as he walked towards her. "Oh, that's Loke. He's part of our guild." He examined the missing ad as he continued. "Went on a job a couple of weeks ago and hasn't come back yet, so one of his little girlfriends posted these all around Magnolia. We tried to tell her it's pretty common for people to be gone for awhile on jobs, but she wouldn't leave 'til we pinned that up here. Crazy chick." He shrugged nonchalantly, and raised the job flier in his hand to show it to Lucy but stopped dead in his tracks, hand frozen in the air.

"Luce?" He questioned uncertainly, giving her a weird look.

Lucy didn't answer him, instead just kept staring at the picture of the boy named Loke. Something deep inside of her ached as she looked at the image and she realized absentmindedly that a few tears had escaped her eyes, but she was too busy trying to figure out why she felt so terribly sad all of a sudden to brush them away. She was certain she had never seen this boy before in her life.

Lucy shook her head, hoping it would chase away the sudden sorrow in her heart. What with her crazy dreams, the insane world she was now in, and her random bouts of depression, she _had_ to be losing her mind. She couldn't find any other explanation for the combination of strange things happening to her. She started to feel a little bit scared. How would she even _know_ if she was going crazy?

"H-hey, what's wrong?" Natsu murmured as he lifted a hand to presumably wipe away her tears.

Before she could muster out a response, the doors to the guildhall burst open and a short little blue haired wizard ran inside. Natsu's blazing fingertips froze in place, just barely grazing the tearstained skin on Lucy's cheek.

" _Lucy!_ " Levy exclaimed with wild eyes searching the hall. She bee lined for the job board when she saw Lucy standing there.

Natsu's hand retracted quickly to his side and Lucy blinked her tears away before forcing a smile onto her face to greet the out-of-breath girl in front of them.

"Lu! I found-the book. I knew-I read something-somewhere." Levy gasped out in between breaths.

Lucy's eyes widened. Levy had found something about her key? Already? Her heart beat painfully with a different kind of sadness that she didn't quite understand. Her mind began moving too fast, each thought adding to her current confusion and her melancholic mentality. She was already muddled with doubts about her sanity, she couldn't handle anymore confusing emotions messing with her unstable mindset.

She glanced at Natsu, who had frozen in place. He seemed to sense her focus on him and slowly moved his head to return her gaze. His eyes darted down to his fingertips, which were still damp with her tears, then back up to her face. She watched as he straightened up and turned away from her to face Levy with a look of complete indifference. However, he didn't wipe his face clean of emotion fast enough; Not fast enough for Lucy to miss the lost and confused look in his eyes before they became vacant.

She flushed. So he was just going to pretend nothing was wrong? _Was_ anything even wrong? She didn't know anymore, but she decided she would follow his lead; she can remove herself from her feelings just as easily as Natsu can, after all. It actually seemed like a pretty good idea. How else was she going to be able to protect her already fragile state?

So she forced her mind to go blank and she became an empty slate, free of emotions or feelings. She cut herself off from her inner conscious, cut herself off from her sadness, and cut herself off from her fondness of Earthland. It was the only way she'd be able to move forward without having a panic attack from all of her overwhelming reactions. This world was Wonderland, and she was Alice. And it was time for Alice to return home.

"Show me." Lucy said with resignation, keeping her tone void of emotion. She didn't let herself worry about whether that came out sounding rude or not; she didn't let herself worry about anything at all.

Levy raised an eyebrow at her, but didn't question Lucy's statement. She still seemed too excited over her find to process much of anything else. "Of course!" Levy exclaimed, reaching her hands down to her side where they grasped nothing but air. "It's in my-oh crap! I must have left in such a hurry, I forgot my bag at home!" Levy huffed in anger at herself, then grasped ahold of Lucy's wrist. "Come on, Lu! We can go back to my place, I'll show you there!"

Lucy, unable to hold every emotion at bay, felt her eyes widen with shock as she was suddenly yanked forward. She wasn't given a chance to respond since she was already quickly being pulled away from the wall, towards the open entrance of the guild. Levy was almost running, dragging Lucy along behind her.

Just as they reached the archway, Lucy turned her head back, her eyes searching for Natsu. He hadn't moved from his spot by the job board, but he was no longer looking up at them. As a matter of fact, he wasn't even looking their way at all. Instead, he was looking down, apparently more interested in the flier he held in his hands than anything else at the moment.

That was the last she saw of the pink-haired dragon slayer before the giant wooden doors were closed, cutting off any view she had of inside the hall. Levy continued to drag her along, away from the guild. Lucy felt a tiny pang of sadness. Or was it betrayal? Natsu had been so eager to help her, always with a giant, crooked grin on his face. He'd been beside her the whole time she had been on Earthland, so why wasn't he by her side now?

Lucy sucked in a breath and tried to force herself away from those negative emotions. Who was she to be upset about something like that? Natsu didn't owe her anything. And she definitely didn't know him well enough, or long enough, to expect anything from him. Besides, he'd already done plenty for Lucy. She didn't deserve any more kindness from him. He had found her, kept her sane (somewhat, at least), kept her safe, _and_ brought her to Fairy Tail, where he had known there would be someone who'd surely figure out how to get her home. _Maybe I'm just not his problem anymore now that Levy's figured it out_ , she thought bitterly.

Lucy then flinched at her own selfishness. She seemed to be letting her emotions run wild again, so she tried to reign in her thoughts and calm herself down enough to bring about that blank, empty state again. She shouldn't let her feelings be hurt. Natsu was a kind person for helping her out, and she _should_ appreciate that. But she didn't want to disillusion herself any longer with this whimsical fantasy she had of friendship and belonging. Everyone she met has been kind enough to her, but wasn't that just so that they could help her get home? Their own Master had even told her that 'Fairy's Tails number one mission is to help people.'

So Natsu had helped her. Mission accomplished. Now he would be on to the next job, which he seemed to be already looking into, and she would be on her way home; home to her mother, who was surely worried sick about her; home to a place full of certainty, and facts, and normal everyday routines; home to a place that she now knew wasn't actually her home at all, just some borrowed planet hidden away across the universe, buried in a lie.

With that last dark thought, Lucy closed herself up again, limply trailing behind the blue haired Mage that was dragging her towards a giant dormitory. Each step bringing her closer to the room where Alice's way back up the rabbit hole had been discovered.

OoOoOoO

Natsu hated seeing any of his friends upset, but he _especially_ hated it when they cried. He couldn't stand how helpless it made him feel, knowing that there usually wasn't anything that he could say or do to make them feel better. He didn't exactly have a way with words, nor was he very familiar with the best ways to comfort a friend. He was someone that was much better talking with their fists rather than their vocabulary. Therefore, in this current situation with Lucy standing before him suddenly looking so terribly _sad_ , he couldn't contain the feeling of helplessness that washed over him.

But this was _Lucy._ The weird and funny alien that _he_ had found, that _he_ had sworn to protect and help in any way. Natsu decided right then that he wouldn't be continue to be helpless. He knew using brute strength wouldn't fix this, whatever _this_ even was. He had no idea what had suddenly made her look so broken. There was no one around that he could fight in order to bring the smile back onto Lucy's face, but oh, how he wished it was that easy. No, violence wasn't the answer here, he definitely knew that. So instead, he had to attempt something he had never really done before. He had to _try_ to be gentle, and soft, and comforting; all things that Natsu knew he typically failed miserably at. But again, this was Lucy...So he had to try, right?

He reached out to her, his hand lifted hesitantly, unsure of exactly what it was supposed to do that could comfort the girl before him. His eyes flashed to her cheeks, where tears steadily streamed down, leaving shining trails in their wake. The salty aroma filled his nose, reminding him of the sea, and he dully thought that he would never look at the ocean the same if it reminded him of Lucy crying.

And that's when he knew what his hand was supposed to do. It was supposed to get rid of that strange, sad liquid. Because if the tears were gone, then Lucy would go back to normal. She would smile again. Right?

Now that it knew it's purpose, his hand moved slowly but surely, until his fingertips had just barely connected with her skin. Although it was just the very tips of his fingers that had made contact, he remembered noticing how smooth her skin was.

And then everything went crazy. _Again_. Seriously, was there ever a calm, quiet moment in Fairy Tail? Natsu decided that _no_ , there wasn't, and he quickly pulled his hand back down to his side as Levy had raced her way towards them.

The blue haired girl seemed excited, her eyes wildly lit up as she explained to Lucy about her discovery, all the while trying to catch her breath. The solid script Mage seemed oblivious to the way Natsu and Lucy had both grown rigidly still.

Natsu stared at Levy somewhat with disbelief. Couldn't she _see_ that Lucy was upset right now? Why wasn't she doing anything to make Lucy feel better again? Girls were way better at this whole comforting thing than guys so why wasn't Levy hugging Lucy, or asking her what was wrong or doing _something_ other than look completely unaware? And better yet, why was _Natsu_ the one noticing all of these things? He was rather confused, thinking all of those questions to himself, when he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, the kind of tingling you felt when you knew there was someone watching you.

He turned his head to peer into Lucy's big, brown eyes. They were wide with, what, fear? Or maybe confusion; perhaps the same confusion that was showing on his face too. What if he looked worried and it caused _her_ to feel even more worried? He glanced down at the tear trails on her cheeks and then back into her trusting eyes.

 _Pull it together, Dragneel_ , he silently growled to himself as he tried to make his face completely blank. Showing _no_ emotion was better than showing _bad_ emotion, he decided. Bad emotion could potentially scare Lucy even more right now. He had to keep a clear head. Especially if Levy had just discovered the way home for Lucy. That was what Lucy wanted, and he had to empty his mind and focus on what was in front of him in order to help Lucy get home, like he had promised.

Hoping that he had wiped his face clear of all of his concerns, he turned his attention back to Levy, ready to hear whatever it was that the girl had come to say. He waited silently for Levy to continue, but his attention was violently snapped back to Lucy as soon as he heard her mutter the words, "show me."

He stared at her, hoping to get a read on what she was thinking, but her tone and her face seemed to match each other perfectly; they were completely empty. His hands unwillingly clenched into fists, reminding him of the job flier that he still firmly held onto.

He looked down at it oddly now. Had he really been about to go with Happy and Lucy on a job? It was strange how things could change so drastically in an instant. He peered down at the words, trying to make sense of what they said. But right now they looked like a completely foreign language, so he gave up on trying to focus on the letters. Instead, he thought back on what he had read when he'd first seen the flier.

 _'50,000 jewel reward for the safe return of the runaway daughter of the Harlem Family. She was last spotted near the base of Mount Hakobe, close to a suspected bandit hideout location. Special Reward: If the wizard whom takes this job should return the daughter safely to the Harlem Family **and** take down the bandits, they shall receive a celestial gate key as a reward, along with the 50,000 j_.'

Natsu was still staring blindly down at the paper when he heard the doors to the guild slam shut. He looked up to see both Lucy and Levy missing, and Happy hovering worriedly in front of him.

"Natsu, are we gonna go with them to Levy's?" Happy asked quietly. "Lucy looked really upset." He added even softer than before. The blue cat's eyes drew down sadly.

Natsu's hand clenched around the flier again, crinkling it up into a ball. "No. Levy can help with that." He declared in a monotone as he started walking towards the exit, a newfound objective in mind.

Levy, surely, would eventually figure out that Lucy was upset. And Levy would know how to give Lucy the comfort she needed. She would know what to say and what to do, and before long, Lucy would be happy again. Natsu, on the other hand, had already come to the conclusion that he was much better at talking with his fists. He now had a reason to do so. "We're going on a job, Happy."

"Aye, sir!" The exceed flew over to land on Natsu's shoulders, latching on so that he was able to peer over the head full of pink hair.

Natsu's fist caught aflame, turning the flier into nothing but ash, irradiating the chance of anyone else taking the job he was now setting out on. He and Happy exited the guild without another word to anyone. Natsu stayed surprisingly silent as they quickly made their way home in order to pack their bags for the job.

Lucy might be leaving soon, and that was okay. Or at least, Natsu told himself that it was okay. It was what she wanted, and he would help her obtain that goal. But she was _also_ a celestial wizard and she had specifically expressed to Natsu, multiple times, that she wanted to learn more about herself in that aspect. So Natsu would make damn sure that he would at least help her with that too, before she was gone.

He had a job to do, and he was all fired up.

* * *

 **Don't you just hate big misunderstandings? D: I certainly do! Poor Naluuuu.**

 **But hey, there's something big coming up, can you guys feel it yet?;p**

 **I feel like this chapter was sad, and it always makes me sad too when I write sad things! So what are your thoughts? What do you think is going to happen next? Let me know, I love hearing from you guys!:D**

 **Thank you all so much for the reviews and the new follows!:D**

 **Demedichi : First of all, thank you so much for reading!:D Ahh, it makes me thrilled that you're liking the story so far! Writing the character dialogue and action is absolutely my favorite part about this story, so I'm really happy to hear that you think they're staying in character pretty well!:D I'm glad that you pointed out the 'blunette' mistake, I actually meant to spell it as 'bluenette' to be a play on words for Levys hair. Now I can go back and fix that!:) also, this chapter probably answered your question about special plans for Leo!:D the tower of heaven is an awesome guess about Lucy's dream! We'll find out soon enough, so I hope you continue to read and enjoy!:D thank you soooo much for your kind words, they mean the world to me! **

**arcadea333 : thank you so so much!:D that makes me so happy! And I live to please, so I promise to update quickly and often to bring you more!:D Lucy will definitely be encountering keys soon enough, as I'm sure you figured out by the end of this chapter! And yukino will for sure make an appearance eventually as well!:D I hope you continue to enjoy! Thank you a million times! **

**SunFlowerChrysalis : ahh, I'm sorry! I don't really like writing perverted scenes (they make me feel weird!) so I promise it won't be a continual thing! I can just see the fairy tail boys being a little pervy when they're drunk:p ah, I love all the Nalu! Even in this chapter, although it was filled with more angst than usual! You're always on the right track with your guesses, you were pretty spot on with Lucy's dreams! Now we just have to find out some more!:D as always, thank you so much for your review! I love them, they make me so happy! **

**Thank you all so much for reading! Let me know what you think:) and have a wonderful day!**

 **xoxo**


	13. Dragons & Keys

**Hmm, chapter 13 is here! Will it be lucky or unlucky? We'll find out:D**

 **Also, before I begin, I just wanted to let everyone know that my friend SunFlowerChrysalis just started a fic called ' _Assembling Lost Fragments_ '. It's shrouded in mystery and written beautifully! It's amazing so far! Everyone should go check it out, follow & leave some reviews!:D pretty please!**

 **As always, thank you so much for reading! You guys rock! I hope you're having an awesome day and I hope you enjoy:)**

* * *

It was sometime in the late, cool evening that Amelia Harlem found herself shaken out of her slumber, her hands still bound tightly behind her with a rather irritating and uncomfortable rope. _To hell with these bandits_ , she thought with spite as she snapped her head around to tell off whichever one had woken her. But before she could speak, she noticed two things; one was the alarming smell of smoke that seemed to be swirling all around her, and the second was the extreme spike in temperature that had set her skin on fire (figuratively, of course).

Amelia suddenly felt frightened as she silently wondered if the bandits were trying to burn the camp down, with her _still in it_. Were they growing tired of holding her hostage? Had it taken too long for her Daddy to send someone out to rescue her? Sure, she had ran away from home on purpose, but she didn't think she'd be _kidnapped_ by _bandits_ right afterwards. And she at least expected her father to send out _someone_ to look for her. So what was taking so long? She began to panick about the ever increasing heat and was about to call out for help when she felt a tugging on her ropes. She awkwardly twisted around, seeking out whomever it was that was untying her. But she didn't see a _someone_. Instead she saw a little blue cat, its tiny furry paws working hard on untying her bound wrists.

It glanced up at her and _relief_ flooded its features. Is even it possible for a cat to look relieved?

"Finally, you're up!" The feline actually _spoke_. Amelia's eyes bulged out of her head but the furry creature continued before she could say anything. "You're the daughter of the Harlem family, right? Your dad sent us to rescue you. It worked out that the base of Mount Hakobe is so close to Magnolia, since we're kinda in a hurry and all."

" _Us?_ " Amelia questioned somewhat incredulously. Her dad had sent _talking cats_ to rescue her?

"Aye!" Was the cat's only reply before he finished with the ropes and they fell loosely around her hands, freeing her from her binds at last. She slowly stretched out her stiff muscles and rubbed her sore wrists, keeping a suspicious eye on the blue kitty the entire time. Therefore, since she was watching it so closely, she knew without a doubt that she saw it fly - _yes, fly_ \- over her head and land by the entrance of her little 'prisoner tent'.

"Now c'mon, let's go!" The cat ordered as it began pulling open the tent door. "He should almost be done out there!"

Amelia gasped when the opening of the tent was fully exposed, revealing the outside world that had completely come to life in fire. The forests, the tents, the equipment, everything in and around the bandit hideout was slowly burning to the ground. Movement in the distance caught her attention and she gasped yet again at the sight before her.

Men, the same men that had kidnapped her, lay crumpled and unconscious on the ground in various places. A few, however, were still standing, positioned in hostile fighting stances and brandishing weapons. They surrounded another figure, one Amelia had never seen before. It was a boy with light pink hair and a piercing, deadly gaze. The bandits all jumped towards him at once, hoping to take him down with their unfair advantage of numbers.

Amelia almost yelled for the boy to run, or watch out, or do _something_ other than just stand there, but her words were cut short when his entire body became engulfed in fire like a freaking _human torch_. To top it off, rather than writhing in pain as she expected, he maneuvered himself like a flaming whirlwind, becoming a blur of orange and smoke that immediately took out the remaining bandits in one fluid movement. They each dropped like flies and remained down, defeated in almost the blink of an eye. The boy slowly straightened, the inferno still licking up his entire being, and turned towards Amelia. His eyes were lit up with a heavenly blaze, and his lips were set with a crooked, sharp toothed smile that sent chills down her spine.

 _No_ , she realized. Her father hadn't sent a bunch of talking cats to come rescue her. Of course not. He had only sent _one_ talking cat and one magnificently fearsome and flaming _dragon_.

OoOoOoO

Lucy had just arrived at Levy's room, her heart beating wildly with nervous anticipation. Levy fumbled to open the door with her shaky hands, but eventually managed to twist the knob and pull Lucy quickly inside.

Levy turned on a light, illuminating the room and causing Lucy to momentarily forget what she was there for. Her mouth openly gaped as she took in her current surroundings. The room was lined with bookshelves along every single wall, filled from top to bottom. And there _still_ wasn't enough space for all of the texts, seeing as there were dozens of them lying around the floor in different sized piles.

"Your room is _heaven_." Lucy managed to breathe out as she looked all around.

Levy giggled appreciatively before she turned her eyes to the floor to search for her forgotten bag.

"Ah! Here it is, Lu!" Levy exclaimed. "It's in this really old and outdated text on celestial history and magic, I honestly don't even remember where I got it!"

Lucy's heart thumped as she approached the solid-script mage. Levy had already pulled an ancient looking, worn book out of the bag and was hastily flipping through pages. The blonde was nervous, she just couldn't help it. No matter how hard she tried to make herself not feel anything, it didn't work. It went against human nature to just feel _nothing_ , and Lucy realized it was impossible to make herself do so. She needed to face whatever she was feeling head on and move past it. In other words, she just needed to be brave. _Like Natsu_ , she thought inwardly with a sigh. He wasn't afraid of anything, and something about that had made her feel less afraid when she was around him as well. So despite whether or not he was her friend, she decided that she would at least hold on to that feeling.

She pushed through her nervousness and went to stand stiffly beside Levy to await her answers.

"Aha! Here! This passage right here." The blue haired mage excitedly thrust the book into Lucy's hands while pointing at a surprisingly small paragraph-A paragraph that looked like pure gibberish to Lucy, filled with nothing but illegible symbols and strokes.

"Um...Levy?" Lucy began hesitantly. "Is this how you guys write here? I think that the alphabet I'm used to is a bit different than this one."

Levy glanced down at the book and slapped herself on the forehead. "Oh, duh! I forgot that you wouldn't be able to read this." She gingerly took the battered book back into her hands. "Sorry, I'm fluent in thirteen different languages, sometimes I forget that other people aren't as well. I'll read it to you, that okay?"

 _Holy cow_. Thirteen languages? This girl was a _genius_ , Lucy admiringly concluded before gulping out a soft 'yes'.

Levy swiftly scanned the page once then began reading aloud in a clear, smooth voice.

"In short, the celestial spirit gate keys are the only items known to man that are able to open the passages to the celestial spirit dimension. Nonetheless, there are still age old legends of another key, dating back further even than the celestial gate keys. Though it is only hearsay, this key is supposedly the only one of its kind in existence, neither silver nor gold in appearance like the rest. Rumor has it that this item doesn't allow the owner to open just one gate, but rather open _any_ gate across the galaxy and transport themselves through the doorway in place of summoning a spirit through it. This key, otherwise known as the 'World Key', would have to ability to traverse through time and space, open doors to parallel universes, and allow the user to travel seamlessly through the rifts that it creates. However, the world key has never been factually proven to exist, so it still remains today as a part of ancient celestial magic folklore." Levy finished reading in a rush and lifted her head up to reveal a large, expectant smile on her face.

Lucy waited patiently for the girl to continue reading, curiosity overcoming her despite her anxiousness. But when Levy just continued to grin happily at her, Lucy started to suspect that there was no more for the girl to read. Her mind began reeling. _That's_ it?

Lucy sputtered, "I-is that all there was?"

"Yes!" Levy answered excitedly, oblivious to Lucy's shock. "It wasn't much, but I knew I read something before about a key that did the same thing that happened to you!" Levy closed the book, looking rather proud of herself. "Now we actually know for sure what that key around your neck is! I can't believe you have something so rare, Lu! That's so cool! We're making history!" Levy squealed, the excitement of this unique discovery getting the best of her. "It's no wonder that no one has been able to prove it exists, it's probably been traveling through different universes for centuries!"

Lucy was speechless as the bluenette continued on about how amazing this revelation was. _That's it?_ She repeated the question in her mind. There wasn't anything in there about how to use it or actually send Lucy home?

"W-wait, L-Levy..So, there wasn't anything in there about, um, well, about how to use it?" Lucy stuttered, wanting to be absolutely one hundred percent sure.

Levy's head tilted to one side as she examined the blonde. Then her eyes widened and a look of realization flashed across her face. " _Oh_. Oh no, I'm sorry Lu." She whispered sadly, looking somewhat ashamed of herself. "There wasn't anything like that. I just..I found that passage and got really excited about finally knowing what the key was. And to find out that it's something so powerful too! I got way ahead of myself, I should have realized that you would probably think that I figured out how to get you home." Levy moved quickly and suddenly she was wrapping Lucy in an embrace and apologizing fervently to her. "I'm sorry, Lu, I probably got your hopes up about leaving. I shouldn't have rushed in like that and not explained anything to you first!" She squeezed Lucy consolingly. "But I promise that we'll work harder now that we know what we're dealing with. We have legends to look in to, and archives to search. We actually have some leads! You'll be back home before you know it!"

Lucy allowed herself to be hugged by the blue haired wizard as tears blurred her vision, but not, she noticed, tears born from sadness. It was relief that suddenly washed over her, a strong and guilty relief. Lucy was happy that she hadn't found out how to get home yet. She was so very _happy_ and that made her feel absolutely _terrible_. Her mother was surely worried sick about her by this point, and here Lucy was, _hoping_ that she would get to stay in this strange wonderland a little longer.

She suddenly felt very selfish and extremely silly for everything that she had been feeling prior to this discovery. With a shaky breath, she replied, "No, i-it's okay, really." She returned Levy's hug wholeheartedly. "I can't thank you enough for helping me. I know that we'll figure it out eventually." She leaned back to smile hesitantly at the blue haired girl in front of her.

Levy still looked as though she felt at fault, which made Lucy feel ten times worse. All she's done so far is cause trouble for these kind people. She's been a burden to them and now she was even making them feel guilty for reasons that they shouldn't. If anyone should feel guilty, it was Lucy. She had only been thinking of herself and in return had caused Levy to believe that it was _her_ that had upset Lucy. When really, Lucy had only been upset because she was afraid of leaving behind this fun new world behind for her old one. The guild members deserved more than that. They deserved kindness, respect, and happiness.

Lucy wanted to crawl in a hole in shame and forget all about her brief bout of selfishness. But now wasn't the time for that. Because now, she was full of fresh determination to at least attempt to show how grateful she was to everyone in Fairy Tail, before it was too late and they really _did_ find out how to get her home. _And when we do find it, I won't act like a selfish runaway child_ , she swore silently. Lucy's mom was waiting for her and she would return home when the time came for her mom's sake, if not for anything else. There would be no more upsetting others just so that Lucy could be selfish.

Levy began talking, pulling the blonde out of her reverie. "Dang it, I probably made Natsu think the same thing you did." Levy whined sulkily.

The mention of Natsu had Lucy lifting an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" She questioned curiously.

Levy's shoulders slumped as she responded. "I mean, I probably made him think you were going home too. That's probably why he looked so upset. I couldn't understand it before, but now I get it." The girl pouted.

Lucy pat her shoulder reassuringly before answering. "Don't feel bad, Levy! You didn't do anything wrong." Lucy gave her her best smile in an attempt to cheer the girl up. "And Natsu? Upset? Psh, please. He was probably just worrying about which job to take on next since he thought that he had fulfilled his promise to me already." She spoke in a joking manner, with a wave of her hand to dismiss the subject, but the bluenette beside her looked suspiciously at Lucy nonetheless.

Lucy flinched under the questioning stare, then saw Levy's golden eyes widen as she grasped what Lucy was saying. "You think Natsu wouldn't be upset about you leaving?"

Lucy choked awkwardly on her own spit, confirming Levy's inquiry immediately. She then stuttered out nervously, "N-no! That's not what I meant! I mean-it's just, uh." She shook her head fervently. "I don't think that exactly. But, well, if you're right and he actually thought I was leaving too, then, um, he wasn't too concerned about..well, coming here to say goodbye." Lucy finished faintly, with a furious blush on her cheeks.

The other girl's expression softened as she looked at Lucy. "Oh, Lu. That's just Natsu. He doesn't handle being upset very well." Levy rolled her eyes at the thought of the fire Mage. "But I think he definitely knew that you wouldn't just leave without saying bye first, silly. He's probably just brooding somewhere right now, upset because he thinks his new friend is leaving soon."

Lucy flushed again. "Friend?" She murmured quietly, but not silent enough for Levy to miss it.

Levy scoffed. "Well, duh! Of course you're his friend, Lu. You're my friend too." She grinned cheekily at Lucy before continuing. "Natsu is strange, but he has a huge heart. He becomes friends with everyone eventually, even if he doesn't like them at first. But I've never seen him form a friendship with anyone else faster than he did with you!" She smiled warmly at Lucy, who just stared back with her mouth hanging slightly open. "Seriously, if _that's_ what you've been worried about this whole time, you should have said something. Anyone in the entire guild could tell you that that boy cares about you." Levy finished with a giggle and a wink.

Lucy, on the other hand, felt ashamed yet again. Had she really been so upset earlier that she thought so little of Natsu to not consider his feelings? She had just assumed that he didn't care about her at all. She had assumed that he thought of her as just another one of his missions. But if what Levy was saying was actually true, then maybe he was just upset, like she was, about the thought of her leaving?

Lucy hadn't been on Earthland for long, but she definitely felt as though her and Natsu had formed some sort of connection. Maybe that's why the idea of him not considering her as a friend had hurt her feelings. They had spent their time together mostly laughing and she had enjoyed his company. She had nothing to compare it to, but she was fairly certain that their time spent together was what 'friendship' is supposed to feel like. And she had completely written it off when she had been consumed by her own doubts and worries. Lucy slumped with guilt. _I just became friends with someone and I'm already terrible at it_. Great.

Levy began speaking in a brighter tone, as if sensing Lucy's sullen mood change. Maybe that's one thing friends are for; cheering each other up when they knew the other was down. "But I say we let him mope a little longer. Serves him right for being stubborn and not coming here with you if he actually thought you were leaving!" She mischeviously grinned at Lucy. "We can just let him sulk and think that for a while before we tell him that he's stuck with you for a little longer."

Lucy was about to protest, wanting to go find Natsu right away and make things right with him, but Levy beat her by asking the one thing that Lucy absolutely couldn't refuse.

"So, Lu, do you wanna go into town and check out the bookstore?"

OoOoOoO

Lucy had thought that Levy's room was heaven, but that was before the bluenette had led her into Magnolia's bookshop. It wasn't because it was a big establishment, in fact it was actually pretty small as far and bookstores go. No, it was because, for the first time in Lucy's life, she was surrounded by books that she had absolutely _never seen_ before.

She was in awe, walking down each aisle slowly, ogling all of the new names and titles. "Levy!" She breathed in amazement. "This is so awesome! I've never read _any_ of these! I was literally running out of things that looked interesting to read back on Earth. This is paradise!" Lucy bounced giddily.

Levy gave a small little shrug as she admired the interior of the bookshop. "I suppose that makes sense. Different world, different creative minds." She then looked wistfully at Lucy. "You're _so lucky_ , Lu! I'm running out of things to read too. I would so love to have an entire world of new reading opportunities!"

The girls picked out a couple of books, sat down in some chairs, and made themselves comfortable in the little shop. They spent their time either silently submerged in the novels they picked, or giggling away about the most absurd differences in their two worlds. And when they weren't doing one of those two activities, they were simply discussing their thoughts about the World Key.

"But how do you think it works? I mean, the first time I came here, I didn't do anything but touch it." Lucy gripped the key gingerly in between two fingers, holding it close to her face as she examined it. "I've touched it plenty of times since then and nothing's happened."

Levy was peering inquisitively at the key as well. "Honestly, I have no idea. It'd make sense if you had said some key words or something. That's how celestial wizards are able to open the spirit gates, I think. But since you didn't say anything I don't really get how or why it happened."

Lucy had shrugged before dropping the key, allowing it to dangle once again around her neck. Conversation moved on and before Lucy knew it, night had fallen. The shopkeeper came to warn them that the store would be closing in twenty minutes and both girl's heads shot up to stare out the window.

"Wow, night already?" Lucy mused.

Levy gasped and scrambled out of her seat. "Oh, crap, I think we left Natsu to brood a little too long!"

Lucy felt a cold realization sweep over her. She had completely lost track of time. Hopefully Natsu hadn't _really_ been upset the entire time or else Lucy would feel terrible all over again. What if he wondered why she was gone so long? What if that made him think that she actually had left without saying goodbye? Natsu didn't really seem like the type of person to think that way, but Lucy didn't want to take the chance. "You're right, we should head back and find him." She said as she pushed herself out of her seat as well and gathered her books to return them to their places on the shelves.

She rushed through the store, turning around the corner of an aisle too quickly and roughly bumping into someone, which sent her books flying to the ground. She hastily retrieved the scattered texts while apologizing profusely to the person in front of her.

It was only when her apology was returned with complete silence that she looked up at the wordless figure. She realized with a start that there were actually two people standing before her, both tall and burly men, dressed in all black, and they were staring directly at her.

"Um, sorry...again." She mumbled uncomfortably, then retreated to find Levy. _That was weird_.

The two girls quickly exited the store, thanking the shopkeeper on the way out, and made their way through the dark, empty streets back towards Fairy Tail. They delightedly continued the conversation they had been having inside as they journeyed home together, completely and blissfully unaware of the silent, dark-clothed figures that were trailing a safe distance behind them. The girls picked up their pace as a light drizzle of rain began to softly fall from the sky.

"Come on, Lu, let's hurry!" Levy urged playfully as she began to jog. "I think there's a storm coming in!"

Lucy laughed but was happy to oblige, eager to get back to the guild to see her pink haired friend. _Friend, hm? Has a nice ring to it_ , she reflected with a jubilant smile before she sped up to keep pace with Levy, excitement blooming in her chest as she imagined the adventures that still await for her in this mad world.

* * *

 **Yay for long chapters! :D And yay for learning more about Lucy's mystery key! I want to attempt to digitally paint the world key and post it on deviant art, but I'm still learning how to use adobe illustrator so it more than likely wouldn't come out looking that great yet! Practice makes perfect, though, so I'm going to try to keep at it! T-T**

 **Anyways, the idea of having a World Key sounds _amazing!_ I would seriously be in a different world every day! **

**So any questions? Thoughts on who's following Lucy and Levy? Or thoughts about the World Key and how it works? Or just any thoughts in general?:p Send them my way:D**

 **SunFlowerChrysalis : Thank you so much! That makes me so happy because I was really worried about how chapter 12 turned out! I didn't want it to come out sounding _too_ angsty, so it seriously makes me thrilled to hear that you thought it turned out well!:D And I was also really nervous about writing a story that had POVs from different characters because I feel like that can sometimes get messy..But I love writing is Natsu's point of view so much that I couldn't resist! And again, it makes me thrilled to know that it seems to be working out! I appreciate your kindness so much and I'm so glad that you started reading this story!:D Thank you, thank you, thank you! **

**Arcadea333 : Oh my goodness, thank you so much! XD I'm ecstatic that it made you feel happy _and_ sad too! That means you're feeling all the same feelings that I am when I'm writing each chapter:D mission accomplished! Ah, I knowww, poor NaLu! I wanted to glomp them too! D: And awhhh, Loke:( that's all I can say! we'll find out about him soonish!**

 **Life Death rabidlovingfangirl : Hahaha, awh, your reviews make me smile!:D You're too sweet and I'm so glad you're enjoying it so far! Thank you so much for reading!:)**

 **demedichi : Thank you infinitely for your wonderful reviews!:D I'm so glad that you're enjoying this story! You were right about this chapter showing what was going on at both ends with the two main characters! I really enjoyed being able to write about Natsu's job, but from someone's else's outside perspective rather than his own! It's nice showing off how much of a badass he is:D And please, by all means, ask as many questions about your favorite characters as you want! I'd be happy to answer them to the best of my ability:D You rock, thank you again so much for your reviews! They mean a lot:) **

**THANK YOU GUYS! You make me excited to publish more chapters ^-^ Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed, and have a terrific night!**

 **xoxo**


	14. Makeups & Breakups

**Chapter Fourteen is here! YAY! Firstly, thank you all so much for reading! It makes me so happy that people are liking the story so far! It's only going to get crazier from here on out, so thanks for sticking with it through all of the introductions and whatnot!:D**

 **Secondly, I have a lot going on within the next couple of weeks, so it might be a little hard to update. PLEASE don't hate me, if so! D: My sister's birthday is today, my birthday is coming up on Wednesday, and then my best friend's birthday is coming up _next_ Saturday! So I'll be a busy bee with all of that, plus work! BUT, I promise that I will update as soon as possible! I already have most of the next chapter written out, so it shouldn't take too long!  
**

 **Annnnnnd now, please enjoy Chapter 14!:D yay for fluff (sort of)!**

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The entire town of Magnolia was covered in a torrential downpour by the time Levy and Lucy finally made their way back to Fairy Tail. The girls were soaked to the bone, but that didn't keep them from smiling and laughing as the rain fell down. The guild came into view and they grinned giddily at each other before putting on a burst of speed and barreling straight through the giant front doors without even slowing down.

The pair giggled as they shook their heads, sending droplets of rainwater in every direction. Lucy marveled at how comfortable she felt around her new blue haired friend, and in the guild in general. She was no longer nervous at all as the friendly faces in the hall greeted her and Levy grasped her hand to pull her towards the bar. She noted how natural everything felt as she happily replied to everyone, and the corners of her mouth quirked up at the thought. _Natural, huh?_

Levy let go of Lucy's hand in order to place hers flat out on the bar top. The bluenette looked as though she was there for business and Lucy found it endearing as well as slightly comical. "Mira!" Levy blurted, attracting the attention of the silver haired bartender. "Do you know where Natsu is? Lu and I have to find him!"

The girl-in-question's smile faltered. But before she came to stand across from them on the other side of the bar, Gray's matter-of-fact voice rang out. "Flame Brain's not here. He probably won't be back for a few days."

Lucy went cold at his words, suddenly feeling as though she was frozen. Didn't she remember somebody tell her that Gray was an ice mage? Levy, on the contrary, twirled around to stare him directly in the eyes. "What?! What do you mean? Where'd he go?"

Gray, unaware of why Natsu being gone was a bad thing, shrugged his shoulders and leaned back on his stool to gaze at the two girls. "He went on a job. Stormed outta here like an idiot. That stupid pyro doesn't realize that other people have to clean up after him when he starts lightin' stuff on fire." He tsked and rolled his eyes.

Mira, who's attention was fixed on Lucy, spoke in a much more gentle voice, filling in the blanks that Gray's explanation left. "He left shortly after you two did. I assume the job he took was the one listed on the flier he had; which he left in ashes on the floor, might I add. If I'm correct, then he went to rescue a runaway daughter and take down a bandit hideout." She smiled sadly at Lucy. "I'm sorry, Lucy. That job in particular was estimated to at least take a few days. Knowing Natsu though, it shouldn't take him longer than two."

Lucy realized she must have looked shocked; her mouth had been popped open forming a small 'o' and her eyes had grown wide. She quickly smoothed her features into a poker-face, feeling a blush creep up her cheeks. "N-no! Don't be sorry!" She waved her hands in front of her. "There's nothing to apologize about. He's going out to help someone, right?" She forced a decently believable smile in the direction of Mira's pitying blue eyes. "I'm fine here. Natsu doesn't have to hang around."

Lucy kept her fake smile up, but felt her previous happiness deflate like a balloon. So he _had_ moved on to the next job, as soon as he thought that his one with her was done.

The short, blue haired girl next to her took one look at Lucy and then nearly exploded. "That _jerk!_ Oh, he so has another thing coming when he gets back! How _insensitive_ can someone be?!"

Gajeel, who had mysteriously appeared on one of the stools by Levy, looked up from his pile of screws and bolts. He cocked an eyebrow at her sudden outburst. "What's got yer panties in a twist, shrimp? It's a helluva lot quieter without that Salamander around."

Levy glowered at him, causing the large man to audibly gulp, but otherwise ignored him, instead turning her focus back to Lucy. "Lu, I know this looks bad on Natsu's part, especially after everything we talked about. But he really just doesn't use his head! He probably didn't think it would look like-well actually, scratch that, he just doesn't _think_ at all." The solid-script mage scowled, scrunching up her face unhappily. "I can't believe I was _defending_ him earlier! That'll be the last time I ever say anything nice about that idiot." She crossed her arms and huffed.

Gajeel, on the other hand, growled slightly. "Oi, what _nice things_ were ya sayin' about that twerp?"

Lucy laughed, noting bemusedly that the sound came out flat, and quickly spoke up in order to prevent an argument between the two. "It's really okay, Lev. I understand why he went. He didn't do anything wro-"

Her sentence was cut short when the guild doors were roughly thrown open and another voice filled the air. "I'M BAAACK!"

Lucy sucked in a breath and grew perfectly still.

Gray groaned and muttered, "Speak of the devil. What'd he do, give up before even finishing the job?"

Levy was gone in a blur, scrambling through the chairs and tables until she was directly in front of the pink haired wizard. She stood on the tips of her toes in order to get in his face, and Lucy knew she was doing her best to look intimidating. Happy, who had been latched onto Natsu's shoulders, shrieked 'scaryyy' and flew away to find Charle.

"Now you listen here, Natsu Dragneel! You owe Lucy an apology right this instant!" The blonde would have smacked herself with embarrassment if she was able to move. Instead, she silently begged Levy to shut up, but the bluenette continued. "What were you thinking just waltzing out of here like-er." Levy cut her rant short when Natsu placed his hands on her shoulders and literally moved her to the side, out of his way. His eyes scanned the hall until they landed on Lucy. His piercing gaze glued itself to her and Lucy knew she would have frozen under its penetration if she wasn't already standing stock-still.

They stared silently at one another from across the room for a fraction of a second, and then suddenly he was right in front of her, peering down at Lucy with a blazing fire in his eyes. She squeaked involuntarily at the sudden proximity between them, noting that he had closed the distance at an inhuman speed. The temperature around her seemed to warm with his presence. She only faintly heard Levy yell in the background, "Did he just _ignore_ me!?"

Lucy was more concered with the appearance of the boy before her, worry immediately replacing her previous somber mood. He was covered from head to toe in thick, black ash, with streaks running down his face-presumedly caused by the rain washing over him, leaving trails on his ashen skin. She panicked, unsure if there were any injuries lying under all of the soot, and opened her mouth to ask Natsu if he was okay.

However, before she had a chance to utter a word, Natsu began speaking quickly, his words spilling out over one another in a rush.

"I'm sorry it took me so long to get back, Lucy. I probably shouldn't'a left without sayin' nothin' in the first place, 'cause I know you're tryin' to leave and all, and I'm probably holding you up. But that's why I had to go in a hurry so I could get back quick! And I woulda made it back faster, but that damn old man wouldn't stop huggin' his spoiled daughter when I got her home, so it took him forever to pay me! And Happy's transformation only lasted long enough to get us back to the edge of town, so I had to run the rest of the way. I guess I coulda taken a wagon but that probably woulda slowed me down even more in the end, with the motion sickness and all, so I just thought-"

It was Lucy's turn to interrupt his rambling as she grabbed ahold of Natsu's arm. "Natsu, _slow down_. What are you talking about? And are you okay? You're not hurt anywhere, are you?" She asked, bewildered and concerned at the same time. She wasn't following what he was trying to say at all.

He blinked confusedly at her as if he wasn't sure what he was talking about either. Then his face broke out into his signature grin and he grabbed the hand that she had placed on his arm.

"I gotcha somethin', Luce!" He beamed as he flipped her hand over and gently placed a small item into her palm.

Lucy was struck speechless when she felt the little metal object in her hand immediately warm upon making contact with her palm. She knew without even having to look exactly what it was, but her eyes shot downwards anyway. Her skin tingled as she gaped wordlessly at the little silver key that she now held gingerly in her grasp.

Natsu took her silence as a chance to finish speaking. "I'm sorry I left without tellin' ya. I just knew I had to get there and back fast, 'specially with you leavin' soon." He scratched the back of his head with a grin. "Now you get to try out your whole magic thing before ya go."

Lucy's mind reeled as she tried to process exactly what he was saying. She almost had all the pieces put together when Levy questioned the same thoughts that Lucy herself was having. "Wait...so you took that bandit job, finished it in _half a day_ when it _should_ have taken days to complete, and rushed back here just to get that key to Lucy before she left?" Her blue head tilted to the side as she waited for his response.

He rubbed the back of his neck, thrown off by Levy's query. "Well, yeah, but-oof!"

His sentence was cut short when a little body with a head full of blonde hair crashed into him. The shock and the impact was almost enough to make him fall over. Almost. He regained balance at the last second, confusion sweeping over him as he steadied himself and the person clinging to him. His eyes doubled in size when he finally realized what was happening. Lucy had launched herself at Natsu, tightly wrapping her arms around the dragon slayer's waist in an embrace.

Her head was buried in his chest, so her voice came out muffled when she spoke but she knew Natsu would hear. "That's the craziest, but nicest thing anyone has ever done for me. Thank you so much, Natsu!"

Natsu flushed slightly, caught off guard by the sudden display of affection. His eyes were still wide and he held his arms awkwardly in the air, unsure of what exactly to do with them.

Before he could think too hard about it, he heard an annoyed 'tsk' come from beside him. He glanced over, careful not to move his body or pull away from the blonde. Levy was glaring at him, but the glare didn't hold any anger, seeing as a smirk was beginning to tug at her lips. "Idiot," she scolded. "You went overboard again for no reason. We were trying to find you earlier, right before you nearly bust down the doors, to tell you that you two are gonna be stuck with each other for a while!" The blue haired mage laughed at the look on Natsu's face, his expressions changing quickly from confusion to understanding to shock and back to confusion again.

If Levy was saying what he _thought_ she was saying, then he needed to hear it directly from the source. So he placed his blazing hands onto Lucy's shoulder and pushed her far enough back that they were able to look at each other, his hands staying firmly on her shoulders to keep her in place. "What's she mean, Lucy?" He asked in a low voice, his eyes boring into hers with intensity.

Lucy knew that her face had to be scarlet by now for a number of reasons. One, she had just _hugged Natsu_ in front of the entire guildhall. Two, she had just hugged Natsu and he _hadn't_ hugged her back-how embarrassing! Three, she had forgotten about telling the dragon slayer that she wasn't leaving. How would he respond to that? And four, the look he was giving her right now was enough to make _anyone_ blush. He was looking into her eyes as if they were the only two people in the hall and nothing existed outside of them. Who knew Natsu could look so serious? And attractive?

Lucy blushed even more at that thought and abashedly looked down at the floor before stuttering out, "W-well, earlier today, when Levy came in and said she had found out about the key, I th-think we both misunderstood her. She didn't find out how the key works, or how to use it. She just found out exactly what _it is_." Lucy peeked up at Natsu through her lashes in order to gauge his reaction. "S-so, I'll still be having to stay here a while longer, until we figure the rest out. I-if that's okay."

Natsu stared blankly at her, his mind slowly processing what she was saying. Lucy could have sworn that the hands he still held on her shoulders had began to heat up significantly.

It was Happy who spoke first, from across the hall. He groaned, "You mean we _didn't_ have to rush through that job like that?!" the blue cat fell flat on its back, feigning exhaustion. "I've never flown so hard in my life. And I thought Natsu was going to blow up if we didn't make it back here faster!"

Lucy rolled her eyes at the cat's exaggeration, but when she felt Natsu staring at her she turned her attention back to him. She saw that his smoldering look was gone (good thing, too; Lucy wasn't sure how much more of that look she could handle) and replaced instead with his huge, sharp toothed grin.

"Seriously?! That's awesome, Luce!" He cheered excitedly before his eyes widened and he fake coughed, awkwardly scratching the back of his head. "Er-well, at least I think, right?"

Lucy understood what he meant. He wasn't quite sure if _she_ was happy to be staying longer, so he didn't want to come off sounding insensitive to her feelings. She gave a laugh and smiled up at him in encouragement. "It's okay. We can agree that it's awesome."

That was all Natsu needed to hear before he suddenly figured out what his arms were _supposed_ to do earlier. He swept Lucy up in a hug, much to her bewilderment, and swirled her around a couple of times with a happy cheer. He sat her back on the ground and nearly jumped over the bar as he shouted, "Mira! We need a celebratory feast!"

The bartender giggled happily, sending a wink in Lucy's direction. Suddenly, everyone seemed to start talking at once, happiness and laughter spreading from Lucy to everyone else in the guild. She felt a finger poke her side and she looked over to find Levy smiling knowingly at her.

"Told ya you didn't have anything to worry about." Levy said, giving Lucy a wink as well.

Lucy didn't even feel embarrassed, just immensely grateful as she looked at the bluenette. "Thank you, Levy." She said warmly, with as much sincerity as possible.

Someone clasped a hand down on Lucy's shoulder and she turned to see a striking redhead standing beside her, smiling kindly. "This is good news. You're getting closer to discovering your way home and discovering your own magic potential. And for that, we shall celebrate until the sun rises!" Erza declared. "But first," her gaze darkened as she turned to look at Natsu. " _You_ go home. You're filthy. We don't need you making even more messes in here that you won't clean up." Her threatening tone wasn't to be messed with, but Natsu was in too good of mood to really care.

"But I'm _starving!_ Can't I eat first?"

Lucy giggled until Erza's sharp eyes were turned to her. "You as well, Lucy. Unfortunately, Natsu has soiled you."

The blonde flushed, unaware of what exactly Erza meant until she pointed down at Lucy's shirt. "Oh, crap." She stared in dismay down at her now soot covered clothes. "You're right." She sighed. "I need to take a bath and get these cleaned. They're the only clothes I have."

Natsu, with his exceptional hearing, perked up and his eyes lit mischievously. He draped an arm around Lucy's shoulder with a huge grin on his face. "Alright! You heard her, Luce! Let's go take a bath!"

Lucy sputtered, a furious blush lighting her entire face, but fortunately was saved from having to say anything.

"Oh-ho?" Erza's eyes flashed with venomous rage. "What was that, Natsu?" She challenged as she drew her sword.

Natsu yelped and drew his arm back from Lucy immediately.

Levy laughed. "You can come get cleaned up at my place, Lu! And we can find you some clothes while we're there!"

Natsu pouted before grumbling out, "No fair." He then had to expertly dodge Erza's swing of her sword.

Lucy was still sputtering when Natsu caught her eye. He grinned widely again, chuckling when he saw Lucy's expression. "Maybe next time." He joked with a playful wink -was everyone deciding to wink at her today?- before he was chased around the hall, cackling the entire time, by an enraged Erza who was shouting about 'defiling someone's innocence'.

Levy rolled her eyes exasperatedly. " _Boys_." She mumbled, as if that was the explanation to everything.

Lucy opened her mouth to agree when a very loud, very angry voice boomed through the hall.

" _NATSU!_ "

Lucy, along with everyone else, jumped at the sudden outburst. She realized it had come from the balcony above and she craned her neck to see a livid Makarov looming down over the railing. His glare was fixed on Natsu, who had frozen in place and paled slightly. Something in the dragon slayer's expression told Lucy he knew exactly what Master was upset about.

"The council just called on the lacrima crystal, and do you _know_ what they told me?" Makarov's voice shook with rage. "YOU BURNED DOWN AN ENTIRE FOREST?! YOU DAMN BRAT, DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH IT COSTS TO REPLANT _AN ENTIRE FOREST?!_ "

Natsu was moving in a flash. "Whoops, sorry Gramps! Gotta go take a bath, Erza's orders!" With a wave, he zoomed out the door within the blink of an eye.

Lucy was sure that Makarov was going to spontaneously combust. Especially after Natsu poked his head back in and called out, "Oh, and Luce! If you're not back before I am, then I'm comin' to get ya! C'mon, Happy!"

"Aye, sir!" Happy cheered before flying out the door, disappearing into the rain with Natsu.

Levy and Lucy took one look at each other and burst into a fit of giggles, earning a grunt of dissatisfaction from Gajeel-probably because Levy was laughing wholeheartedly with someone and it wasn't him.

Lucy wiped tears of laughter from her eyes with a smile. "We should probably go too. Knowing Natsu, he really will come get us if we're not back soon."

"You mean he'll come get _you_." Levy teased, but she began walking to the entrance of the guild with Lucy close behind. "And while we're there," She continued. "We can grab that celestial magic book! It'll probably teach you how to use your new key!"

Lucy heart rate increased. She had almost forgotten the warm, tingly key still clutched firmly in her palm. She carefully strung it on the necklace chain with the World Key, which she then replaced back over her head where it was nestled safely around her neck. She smiled warmly at the two keys. They were gifts given to her by two different people in two different worlds and each one was held extremely close to her heart (figuratively and literally).

The girls emerged from the guild, back into the rain for the second time that night. Lucy noticed that for the most part it seemed to be dying down. _Maybe that's a sign for good things to come_ , she thought with a giddy grin to herself and increased her speed to keep up with Levy as they made there way into the dark, Fairy Tail disappearing from view behind them.

That was the last thought she had before a whoosh came from behind her and a sharp pain erupted from the back of her head, immediately obscuring her vision with stars. She dully noted that she had fallen to the ground, harshly tearing the skin of her knees open in the process. She tasted blood in her mouth, indicating she had surely bitten roughly down on her tongue as well. Though none of that compared to the pulsing throb in her skull that was making her simultaneously dizzy and nauseous. She heard a shrill scream, sounding as though it had come from miles away, and she could only assume it was Levy's before the world around her disappeared and darkness consumed her

* * *

 **FIN! Muahaha. Cliff hangers are a doozy...**

 **I loved this chapter for it's NaLu fluffy goodness! And then, of course, it had to end tragically! Poor Nalu, they can't seem to catch a break!**

 **Soooo, what do you guys think?! Who took Lucy?! I've had a couple of really good guesses as to who was following her, but none have been right so far! I'd love to hear what you think:)**

 **arcadea333 : Ahhh, I know! I love sulky Natsu, or jealous Natsu, or any mood Natsu:p haha! Phantom Lord is a great guess! We'll find out next chapter, which I hope I'll have out in a couple of days! Thank you so much for staying up to date with each chapter and reviewing! I seriously love it so much!:D And I can't wait for Loke's story to be introduced (as tragic or happy it may be:p) because I get the feeling that you really like him!:D So I'm excited to see what you think:) Thank you sooo much! **

**SunFlowerChrysalis : AHH, thank you, Sunny! Is it okay if I call you Sunny?:p I love how in depth your reviews always are! They just put the biggest smile on my face! I'm glad you said something about the Amelia OC! She'll make an appearance again eventually!:D I don't like her already though, ugh! Natsu would definitely be clueless to the whole ordeal if she threw herself at him! XD Ahh, I'm also very happy that you always notice the important things in each chapter, like the internal struggles with each character! I LOVE LELU! They're my favorite friendship in Fairy Tail, just because I'm a little book nerd also and I would love to be friends with them too! Haha:P and before I started typing this story, I wrote out the plot and key points to everything so I would know where the story would go. And in that process, I actually really thought about introducing Gajeel and Juvia as the first bad guys, as a part of Phantom Lord, but I changed my mind when I started typing out the first couple chapters, just because I wanted everyone to already be a part of Fairy Tail when Lucy joins them! So the rain queen and blacksteel was a good guess, but they're already members of Fairy Tail in this story! Any other guesses? You and I will have something in common with this:p I don't know if that hint will give it away or not, but just think about that!:D AHH, thank you again, sooo much for always reviewing and going in depth with each one! It makes me so happy!:D **

**Thanks again for the reviews, favorites, and follows!**

 **Any questions? Ask 'em! Any concerns? Speak 'em! Any comments? Write 'em! Hearing from you guys is my favorite part about sharing this story! ^-^**

 **THANK YOU all so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed and stay tuned for the next action-packed chapter! I promise I'll have it out soon!**

 **xoxo**


	15. Love in the Middle of a Fire Fight

**Hello, lovely readers!:D Chapter 15 is finally here! Yay:) Thank you so much for reading this far! It makes me feel all warm and happy inside!^_^**

 **Anyways, please enjoy! This is a long one!:D also, there will be some cursing in this chapter! I'm sorry in advance!**

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Natsu, for some reason, couldn't keep the smile off of his face. Maybe it was because he finished an awesome job in record time? That could definitely be it. Or maybe it was because of the look on Gray's face when he heard about how much a badass Natsu was? That could surely be it. Or maybe he was smiling like a maniac because he was thinking about Mira's amazing cooking that was waiting for him back at the guild? Yeah, that absolutely _had_ to be the reason...right?

Although he couldn't quite place the reason why, it didn't stop the huge grin from staying right where it was. It didn't even bother him that Happy kept making comments about how creepy he looked. Whenever his feline friend would say this Natsu would just laugh or roll his eyes and keep on beaming. He even smiled through his bath, which horrified Happy! Since when could Natsu get through an _entire_ bath without grumbling and complaining about how boring and useless it was?

But to the dragon slayer, none of that mattered. He was in a great mood and he loved it, despite how weird Happy thought his 'stupid smile' was. After making sure he was clean enough to meet Erza's approval he tried to dress in a hurry, telling himself he was eager to get to Mira's food. Being in a hurry, however, only made him struggle more than usual with his clothing. He had to put on his pants three times because he kept getting them inside out and backwards in his rush. He didn't even bother with spiking his hair up-or maybe it was more like he forgot-and instead left his slightly damp bangs to hang across his forehead.

Finally, he threw his scarf around his neck and bounded to the front door, grinning madly the whole way. "C'mon, Happy! Let's get you some fish!"

This was something that the cat couldn't refuse, even if he wanted to (which he didn't). He thrust his little paw into the air with an excitedly exclaimed "Aye, sir", and flew out the door just as the fire mage opened it.

The rain had died down, which Natsu was immediately thankful for. _Just another thing to smile about._ The rain impaired his senses too much and he didn't like it; it added sounds, like thunder and rainfall, which messed with his hearing, and it drowned out scents, which messed with his nose. Natsu always felt much more cheerful when the rain ended.

So it was with a big grin on his face that Natsu sprint through the forest, followed closely by his furry companion. He couldn't wait to eat, and then celebrate all night with his family and his new weird little friend. And then he could ask her to try out her key. And then maybe they could finally go on a job. And Lucy could-

Natsu skid to a halt, immediately coming out of his reverie. His ears perked towards the direction of town, away from the guild, and his whole body turned to face the same way.

Happy, who had been daydreaming about fish, flew face-first directly into the frozen dragon slayer. He rubbed his sore face with a whine of dissatisfaction and grumbled, "Natsu, what's the-"

"Happy, do you hear that?" Natsu's voice was urgent as it cut Happy off. He held a hand to his ear as if that would help amplify what he was afraid he was hearing.

Happy didn't respond. Instead, he turned to face the same way as Natsu's and concentrated on the noises all around them. That's when he heard it. The sounds that had made Natsu stop on a dime; shouts, panic, distress.

Natsu didn't wait for Happy to say anything. He knew by the way Happy's ears flattened on his head that he had heard the same thing. So, without another word, the pair tookoff, changing their course from the guild hall to the direction where they faintly heard the commotion coming from.

They tore through the forest, burst into a clearing, and ran straight towards the dark streets of Magnolia. Natsu noticed in the back of his mind that the sounds were coming from the same direction that the dorms were in, but he quickly pushed that thought aside. _No, couldn't be_...

The voices were close now, very close. When Natsu and Happy rounded a street corner, they came face to face with the culprits. His stomach dropped as his eyes confirmed his fears. It was his nakama. Or some of them anyway.

Cana was looking unhappy, her fingers gripping a bottle of alcohol so tightly that Natsu was amazed it didn't break. Gray was glaring into space with his arms crossed, Juvia standing beside him with a sad expresion, silent for once and not going on and on about her precious 'gray-sama'. Erza, Mira, and Makarov all wore similar looks of unhappiness. They spoke in hushed tones and stood surrounding another two figures that were lying on the ground. One of said persons on the ground happened to be making the most noise that had drawn Natsu's attention to them. The other figure was eerily silent.

Happy was the first to recover. He hovered beside Natsu as he softly spoke, "What's wrong, guys?" His voice trembled slightly with the bleak mood that physically tainted the area. "What happened?"

At the sound of his voice, everyone whipped around to stare at the newest additions, giving Natsu his first view of the two on the ground. Gajeel was kneeling beside a very still, very pale, and very unconscious Levy. That was when the smell of copper wafted it's way over to Natsu and his eyes glued themselves to the bloodstains that were soaking Levy's once-orange headband. It pooled beneath her as well, and dotted the area surrounding them in some places.

Natsu's nostril flared as his eyes narrowed, his vision turning a light tint of red.

Before the growing growl could escape Natsu's snarled lips, Gajeel beat him to it. The sound tore through the iron dragon slayer's throat as he jumped to his feet and flew over to Natsu, roughly grasping ahold of his collar.

" _Salamander."_ He seethed, glaring daggers down at Natsu. "Where were _you?!_ "

Natsu felt an irrational surge of anger towards the other dragon slayer. Fiery rage was already coursing through his veins at the sight of one of his beloved comrades lying there injured, and Gajeel approaching him like this was just the icing on the cake. He was about to raise a flaming fist to connect against the iron wizard's face when another voice interrupted their soon-to-be brawl.

" _Silence_ , Gajeel." Master's threatening voice rang out through the air, causing Natsu's flame to die out.

His hands, however, didn't stop moving. He forcefully shoved Gajeel away, out of his personal space, more to help himself keep his cool than anything else. There was obviously someone else out there that he needed to save his energy for. And he _would_ find them.

His eyes were narrowed slits, daring the other man to try and come at him again.

"Where was _I?_ Are you serious? You knew where I was, the whole guild knew!" His ferocious gaze darted to Makarov. "What's he mean, Gramps? What happened here? What happened to _Levy?_ " His tone held a double meaning, and everyone knew the second question he was asking at the same time. _Where is Lucy?_

Gajeel was back in his face the instant the question left his lips. "What's it look like?" He snarled. "Someone _beat the crap_ out of her, that's what happened! You been hangin' around that blondie nonstop since she got here, haven't ya? Well why the hell weren't you with 'em when they came and took 'er!" He shoved Natsu, returning the gesture from earlier. "Maybe then the shrimp wouldn't'a got hurt so bad and maybe your little girlfriend would still be here!"

Natsu burst into flames as soon as the other dragon slayer connected his hands to him. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew he had to control himself, but he was so blinded by fury he wasn't sure how to do so. Someone took Lucy. Someone took Lucy and Gajeel was blaming _him_ for it. Someone took Lucy when he wasn't around to protect her. Someone-

"Gajeel, _enough_." Mira's menacingly cold statement momentarily snapped Natsu out of his furious internal struggle. "The same could easily be said for you. Why weren't you with Levy and Lucy, hm?" She glared challengingly. "It's not Natsu's fault that this happened."

Gajeel attempted to round on Mira, ready to tell her off as well, but he found that he was held in place, unable to move. He whipped his head around to see that Natsu had grasped ahold of his shoulder with a fierce blazing grip, and his red eyes locked furiously with the fire mage's dark green ones.

"Who. Took. Lucy?" Natsu's voice was deadly, each word dripping with poison and enunciated very clearly.

Gajeel tried to roughly rip away, but Natsu's grip didn't loosen. He seethed with anger at having someone's hands on him.

Natsu was then caught off guard by someone grasping _his_ shoulder from behind. Didn't they realize that Natsu was _on fire?_ He attempted to reign in his flames in order to avoid burning whoever was touching him, and his surprise allowed Gajeel to escape and huff angrily back to Levy's side.

He turned to see Gray's bleak eyes staring into his own. "No one knows, man. Gajeel heard Levy scream while we were all still inside. By the time we got out here, Levy was like that and Lucy was gone."

A weary little bluenette poked her head out from behind Gray. She regarded Natsu with sad eyes. "Juvia thinks that the people who did this were after Lucy. And Levy just happened to be there when they came for her." Her gaze shot to where Levy was still lying unconscious.

Cana took a swig from her bottle before saying, "Well, whoever did this will be in for it. They just made an enemy out of us." She locked eyes with Natsu. "I say we go back to the guild and form a group to go after them. They did this to Levy and they took Lucy. They messed with two of our own."

Her last sentence filled Natsu's ears and seemed to echo inside his head. They messed with two of our own...Lucy was a part of them now, as far as Natsu and everyone else was concerned. And they protect their own.

Natsu's head lowered. "Happy, go find Porlyusica and Wendy." Flames began to slowly lick up his body again as he spoke. "Have them heal Levy." He started walking away from the group. "And tell them to be ready to heal Lucy."

Happy flew into the air. "Aye, sir!" he shouted with determination before disappearing into the night.

Makarov called after Natsu, who was already a little ways away from the group. "Natsu, where are you going?" He was answered with silence. "We don't know who we're dealing with or where they even are. We need to form a strategy. We need to form a rescue team and-"

"Go form your team, Gramps. I don't have time." Natsu said blandly without stopping or looking back. He then tuned out his friends behind him. They knew the couldn't stop him anyways. He needed to think right now.

It had rained, yes, and the kidnappers had probably counted on that to slow down their pursuers. But they made one mistake. They underestimated the senses of a dragon slayer...

Natsu's keen eyesight had been able to make out a trail of tiny drops of blood leading away from where Levy was currently lying unconscious. Not only that, but his nose was able to faintly make out the difference from _this_ red liquid to the pool of liquid surrounding Levy. _This_ trail of blood held a different scent, one of copper and cherry blossoms and sage; and he just so happened to know exactly who it belonged to.

He let each drop of blood he saw lead him forward and at the same time fuel him with rage and power. Whoever did this to Lucy was going to pay. He would make sure of it.

The trail ran dry when it came to the canal and his mind began working fast, trying to determine his next move. If the trail ended here, then it most likely meant that whoever took her had made their getaway on a gondola. Smart. They knew it'd be faster and it was eradicate any scents to follow.

His narrowed, calculating eyes swept up and down the canal, the gears in his head working at top speed. If they chose the canal as their escape route, then most likely their destination had to be the harbor, right? That seemed the most plausible idea, since Natsu didn't think they'd be stupid enough to hop off of the waterway to take refuge in one of the buildings in Magnolia. They wouldn't want to risk the chance of someone seeing them.

The harbor then...It was only a hunch, but it was all he had to go on at the moment, and he couldn't afford to waste time doubting himself. So Natsu set off for his destination at top speed, becoming nothing more than a blur of flaming vengeful glory.

OoOoOoO

The first and only thing Lucy was aware of when she came to was pain. It seemed to cover her from head to toe in different degrees, and she let out an involuntary groan. _What happened?_

She attempted to peel her eyes open, but they seemed to resist. Her mind was too groggy for her to make sense of anything. She just wanted to go back to sleep. Hopefully that would get rid of the terribly painful throbbing in her head. She must have hit it somehow...maybe she fell. Or maybe when her and Levy had-

Her eyes snapped open as she let out a gasp. Her memories came rushing back to her and the fog that was clouding her mind was lifted. They had been attacked, right? There was no other explanation for the pain that was shooting through Lucy's body, or for the scream she had heard come from Levy before blacking out.

But who would do such a thing? Was this something that happened often in this new world she was in? Thoroughly confused, she attempted to push herself to her feet. Stars filled her vision as she struggled up, stumbling a bit in the process. Each move she made seemed to make the pulsing in the back of her head increase and all she wanted to do at the moment was lay down and go to sleep. Maybe that would make this awful pain go away, at least temporarily.

But no, she couldn't do that. She had to find out where she was. She had to escape. She had to find and help Levy, who could be in just as much pain as she was now. So with resolve, she pulled herself up with an agonizing cry. She tried to push all thoughts of pain as far away as possible.

She was huffing with the exertion of staying on her feet but despite that and the pain, she was somewhat proud of herself for finding that she wasn't falling over. She placed a hand on the smooth wall next to her in order to support herself and took a look around.

At first, her mind couldn't make sense of the room she was seeing. It was circular, and empty of anything other than a revolving light in the middle of the floor. It rotated round and round, briefly blinding Lucy with each pass it made. It was dark aside from the strange revolving light. She looked to her side where her hand was still firmly placed on the wall and realized with a start that she wasn't actually leaning against a wall at all. It was a window.

An irrational fear of the glass breaking entered her mind, and she drew her hand away, causing herself to lose her balance and stumble. Once she was stabilized, she took another look around the room and saw that it was actually lined with windows all around. The reason it seemed like a closed in dark room was because it was still night outside. But now that her sight had focused, she could make out the faint, twinkling stars in the sky.

That's when it clicked. She was in a lighthouse. Lucy began to slightly panic. She hadn't seen a lighthouse in Magnolia. Although she hadn't actually seen all of Magnolia yet, so she could still be close to the guild...She pressed her face to the window she was closest to and peered out, squinting in an attempt to make out her surroundings. When the light passed her, the outside world was briefly illuminated.

She saw nothing but ocean, for as far as the eye could see. She looked down too see a jagged, rocky cliff, and realized halfheartedly that it would be way too far of a jump. And even if it wasn't, she'd surely die when she landed on those stones.

She walked around the edge of the room until she came to the other side and gazed out it as well. On this side, she saw a dock. A fairly decent sized ship was anchored there, and she could faintly make out large, burly men loading boxes onto the deck.

Lucy thought about opening one of the windows and calling out for help, but thought better of it. She could have sworn she caught of glimpse of the same men that she had briefly met in the bookstore earlier that night. If that was really the case, then these men were the ones who kidnapped her. They definitely wouldn't help.

Or maybe she was just being paranoid, she wasn't sure anymore...

Fear seemed to be grasping ahold of her gut and she started to pace around the circular room, attempting (and failing) to come up with a plan. Levy was no where to be found, but she tried to convince herself that was a good sign rather than a bad one.

She was so lost in her desperate thoughts, that she failed to see a handle protruding from the floor and effectively managed to trip over it. She cursed at herself and rubbed her knees. She had reopened the wounds upon her impact with the ground and groaned again. _Stupid handle, why the hell would someone put that there of all places, like they didn't know people would trip over-wait!_

Her eyes widened with shock and her face whipped around, causing her head to pound relentlessly and black spots to fill her vision again. But she pushed through that, ignoring the pain. Instead, she focused on what she was looking at on the ground. She peered down at a small square door with a giant metal handle. _Of course,_ she scoffed incredulously to herself. Why didn't she think of looking for a door? Her hit on the head must be making her disoriented...

With a small bubble of hope, she grasped ahold of the handle and pulled with all her might. However, the door didn't budge. She was locked in, with no possible way to escape.

Lucy let out a cry of frustration then fell back on her bottom with a wince. The loud noise she had let escape only made her head ache even more. With resignation, she decided the only thing she could currently do was assess her physical injuries.

She noticed she was still covered in ash and was suddenly filled with an intense longing for the person who had covered her in it. Her jeans were torn and her knees were badly scraped up. Her tongue felt swollen and sore, but not too bad. Her head was her most concerning injury. The back of her scalp was so tender that she couldn't touch it without wincing in pain, so she decided against the idea of probing it.

It was during her assessment of damages that she noticed a faint cloud of smoke filling the room. Her heart skipped at the sight of it. _Natsu_ , she sighed with relief. Nastu was there to rescue her!

Sadly, her feeling of solace was short-lived. Her hope shattered as soon as the smell of the smoke reached her nose. It smelled so toxic and disgusting, it made her cringe. There was no way that it could be from the same fire that Natsu produced. The rancid smell filled the room and she realized belatedly that the vapor seemed to have a slight purple hue to it.

That was when she heard the sound of a window opening from behind her and she jumped to her feet, ready to face whomever was coming in. Her eyes took in a man that appeared a few years older than her. He had one of the cockiest smiles she had ever seen, and again she was filled with a strange longing for a different smile; a warm, genuine grin she had grown used to.

The man sauntered towards her. She could tell by the way he held himself that he was conceited. He held an air about him that just screamed 'I love myself and you should too'. She, however, was not the least bit impressed by him.

He stopped when he was standing right before her and smirked down at her. "I sure am glad to see you awake, beautiful." He spoke in a grating voice, each word sending wary chills down her spine. "I was afraid my boys did too much of a number on ya." He cupped her chin in his rough hand in order to get a good look at her face. "Stupid thugs, I told them to be discreet too. Apparently they think that dressing from head to toe in black is what 'discreet' looks like. Bunch of buffoons. Not too smart, but they always deliver." He licked his lips as he gazed sardonically down at her.

She jerked away from him angrily. His touch ignited a fury deep within her that she didn't know she was even capable of.

"Where is Levy?" She demanded in a snarl. "What did you do to my friend?"

The man smiled slyly, but dropped his hand to his side for the time being.

"Don't worry. _She'll_ probably be fine. After all, she wasn't who we were after."

Lucy was unbelieving at first and demanded to see Levy herself to know that she was safe.

"Afraid not, sweetheart. Ship's settin' sail soon, and you and I are going to be on it. Me and my men are gettin' paid a small fortune for bringing you home."

Lucy's eyes widened at his words and she instantly grew cold. _Home?_ How?

She managed to force herself to speak. "What do you mean? How could you possibly know how to do that?"

The man waved his hands with a smirk. "Pretty easily actually. Your old man made it pretty simple for us."

Lucy snorted indignantly at that. "Are you _serious?_ " She retorted sarcastically. "Look, pal, I hate to break it to you, but you have the wrong girl."

He frowned fractionally as he looked her up and down, slowly. His eyes on her gave her the creeps and she wrapped her arms around herself.

"I highly doubt that," he began with satisfaction. "You are Lucy Heartfilia, correct?"

Lucy froze. The way he said her name made her uncomfortable and she forgot to hide her shock.

The man snickered at her reaction. "Of course you are. My men don't get their marks wrong. Especially when the bounty is as large as yours is."

Lucy's mind reeled at this. "But my father is dead." She murmured numbly. There had to be some explanation. Maybe there was another Lucy Heartfilia. People have the same names all the time, it can't be that uncommon.

The guy before her openly laughed, obviously enjoying the sight of her in distress. "You poor dear. What fool led you to believe that?" He smirked again, drinking in her sorrows.

 _My mother_ , she thought nastily to herself. She shook her head, pushing aside any thoughts of her possibly-alive father. She had to strategize. She had to buy herself time. She had to keep this man talking, which didn't seem like too difficult of a task. He seemed big-headed enough to talk about himself for hours.

She turned her glare on him. "Who even are you? What do you want?" She demands.

The man smiled sickeningly, happy with her inquiries now that he had a chance to brag about himself. "The name's Bora, I normally don't tell people that, but seeing as you and I won't be around each other for long, I figure it couldn't hurt." His eyes scoured her body again as he continued. "Normally I want pretty ladies like you for my slave trade." He spoke proudly. "But _today_ , I just want to return Lucy Heartfilia to her loving father out of the kindness of my heart."

Lucy scoffed, growing more disgusted with this man, Bora, by the second.

He narrowed his eyes at her. His patience seemed to be wearing thin with her disrespect towards him. "So..." He began darkly. "I think that's enough for the small talk. How about you be a good little captive princess and tell us where the other bitch is."

Lucy glared at him, not afraid in the least by his threatening tone. "I don't know what you're talking about, _asshole_. You already said that your men left Levy alone."

"Not that girl." He snarled as he reached into his pocket to pull out a small piece of paper. "This one," He snapped as he threw it at her. "Your old man posted this picture for every dark guild, bandit group, and slave trade to see. Says we'll get double the reward if we bring him the bitch in that photo and the pup that looks just like her."

Lucy caught the picture and gave Bora one last evil look before forcing her gaze downward. Her breath caught in her throat as she stared wordlessly down at the photograph of her mother. It was an old one, she noticed. The woman definitely appeared to be years younger in the picture. But it was without a doubt her mom.

Lucy fingered clutched the paper tightly. "I can't help you." She choked out. "I don't know this woman."

Bora laughed darkly. "That's the worst lie I've ever heard. How do you think we knew who you were? You might as well be twins if it weren't for the age difference." He glared at her through narrowed eyes and snapped his fingers. Immediately, those disgusting purple flames swirled around him threateningly. "Your dad said nothing about bringing you in unharmed. Now let's try that again. Where is Layla Heartfilia?" He growled. "I'd hate to mess up that pretty face of yours with scars, but trust me, you little tramp, it's not beneath me."

When she stared defiantly back at him in silence, he harshly grasped ahold of her wrist, purple flames licking hotly at her flesh. She refused to give in. She wouldn't let this man have his way, if it was the last thing she did. She squeezed her eyes shut as she bit back a scream, refusing to look at the fire that surely had to be melting her skin by now. It definitely felt that way at least.

That was when she noticed the heat. Not just the heat of the fire burning her wrist, no, it was much more than that. Heat covered her entire body and seemed to engulf the entire room. She knew that Bora's fire was not capable of this kind of heat.

She began to pant, forcing herself to ignore the agonizing feeling of her skin burning. She lifted her head and met Bora's eyes. To his surprise, she smirked up at him. A little laugh bubbled up from her lips and Bora grew furious.

"Have it your way, bitch. Let's see how you handle a few more burns." He yelled, enraged at being defied and laughed at. Lucy was no longer frightened, however. The heat that was filling the room seemed to embrace her.

"Over my dead body." A new voice pierced the air, freezing Bora right where he stood. It was the voice Lucy had been longing to hear. She grinned brilliantly at the look of fear that flashed across Bora's features. The voice had come from behind her, but she didn't need to turn around to look. She knew who it was. He had promised to protect her, after all.

Her knight in shining armor...no, scratch that...her dragon in a blaze of glory had come to rescue her, just like she knew he would.

* * *

 **Fin! :D It was Bora and his men that were following Lucy! Did anyone guess that?**

 **Ahh, I hope this chapter was okay. I'm not used to writing action and angst, so this was very challenging for me! I probably made Bora a bit too dark, but hey, it's a different universe, right?:p But yay for Lucy's dragon coming to the rescue!:D Things get really wild next chapter, something happens that you completely don't expect:) Or at least, I hope you won't! Haha**

 **Ehhhghhmmmm : Thank you so much for reading!:D I'm always thrilled when I gain a new reader! I'm glad that you're looking forward to what's to come!:D I hope that I won't disappoint! Thank you so much for your kind words, it means so much to me! You're awesome:)**

 **demedichi : Ahh, thank you so much for the nice long review! It humbles me so much T-T I loved everything you said about the hooded figures, your deductive reasoning is awesome! And never apologize for the stream of consciousness that spills out, I absolutely love reading it!:D I'm very excited to introduce all of the characters that you mentioned, it's going to be so much fun to write:) And yay, I'm glad you loved their interactions! That's my favorite thing about writing this story! I love Erza, I think she's so hilarious and genuine. And don't worry, no matter what awaits for the OC, I don't think anything could ever come betwen NaLu for long!;) Thank you again, sooooo much! I truly truly appreciate everything that you siad!:D**

 **SunFlowerChrysalis : Ahh, Moc! Thank you! Your reviews always make me so happy!^_^ I love reading them! Now that you've read this chapter I can tell you why I said that we have something in common! Because our stories both have the same first villain:p Thank you so much, I've been struggling with inspiration the past few chapters, so it makes me happy to hear that you liked the last one! NaLu is so much fun to write! I love it! T-T I think it's awesome that you like all of the character interactions because that's the part I work hardest on! ahhh, I'm so happy just from rereading your review! Thank you, thank you, thank you! you're perfect!^.^**

 **arcadea333 : I knoww, the poor soul! She's had it pretty rough! But at least we always know that Natsu will be there to take care of her!:D I love how happy he was when he found out she was staying, he's too sweet!^-^ I love Loke a lot too, he seriously adores Lucy. Hopefully things will be okay with him in this story *fingers crossed* Thank you so much! You're so sweet and I love your reviews so much! I hope you continue to enjoy!:D **

**Thank you guys for the reviews!:D You guys seriously make writing this fic worthwhile! It means the absolute world to me!**

 **Thank you to those who followed and favorited as well! I can't wait to share more with you, our heroes are about to go on a crazyyy ride!**

 **Have a wonderful day/night!**

 **xoxo**


	16. The Polar Plunge

**Ahh, gomen! I've been super sick all week long and haven't had the energy to write. But today I struggled through it! I wish I could just transfer my thoughts straight into the computer and skip the typing and editing process altogether! Wouldn't that be awesome? T^T**

 **Anyways, thank you all for being awesome and for your support!:D You guys rock! It means the world to me:)**

 **Ahem, sooo, without further ado, please enjoy Chapter 16!:D  
**

 **Warning: This chapter gets a little dark. I think it's time to change the rating of this story...**

* * *

Lucy craned her neck around and at last she saw him. Her eyes drank in the sight of Natsu with mixed feelings of relief and gratitude. Unlike her, he had been able to wash off all of the soot from earlier so he looked relatively normal, aside from two things. Instead of his usual spiky hairdo and carefree attitude, his bangs hung across his forehead almost covering his eyes; eyes that were currently the pure definition of 'if looks could kill' rather than their usual friendly warmth. Lucy _would have_ been scared of those eyes if she didn't know without a doubt that he would never direct them towards her.

But she _did_ know that. In fact, right now she knew exactly where they were directed. His glare was locked on to the ghastly purple flames that were still eating away at her wrist.

Bora seemed to sense the direction of Natsu's gaze as well. He quickly pulled back the fire, which detached from Lucy's skin with a sickening squelch. Try as she might, she couldn't hold back the groan of pain that barely escaped her lips. Lucy, who was still staring at Natsu, saw the dragon slayer's jaw clench and eyes twitch with anger at the two sounds.

Bora raised his voice in a slightly panicked tone, "Who the hell are-"

He was cut off abruptly before he could even finish the sentence. It took Lucy a moment to process what exactly had happened. One second, she was looking at Natsu across the room. Next thing she knew, he was right beside her. The heat around her spiked even higher at his close proximity and she sighed familiarly. That was when she realized that Bora was no longer beside her. Just Natsu, with a fist raised as if he had just punched upwards.

With wide eyes, Lucy followed the path of his raised hand and gasped in bewilderment when she saw Bora up in the air. That's when she was able to put two and two together. Natsu, faster than any normal person, had crossed the distance of the room and had slammed his fist under Bora's chin with so much power that it sent the man flying into the air.

The next sequence of events happened so quickly, Lucy wasn't sure if they actually happened at all. Natsu, now completely covered in flames, jumped skyward. Before gravity could even begin to pull Bora back towards the ground, Natsu was suddenly in the air above him. He flipped midair and connected a flaming foot to Bora's exposed chest and sent him hurtling back towards the floor.

Just as Bora slammed into the ground with a loud crash, Natsu was on top of him. He delivered a single fiery punch directly to Bora's nose, and just like that, it was over. Bora was out cold, to say the least. Lucy wouldn't be surprised if he didn't wake up for a whole month with how hard Natsu's last punch must have been.

The celestial mage was amazed. Sure, she had seen Natsu's abilities several times before, but she had never seen him in action. He was terrifyingly beautiful, like a beast majestically taking down it's prey, and Lucy stared wordlessly in awe. She could only see his back at the moment so she watched as his shoulders would rise and fall with each breath he took.

Sensing her gaze on him, he turned and finally their eyes met; his narrowed and hers wide. He let out a huff and closed his eyes momentarily, just long enough for him to take a couple of deep breaths to calm himself down.

When he opened them again, they were sparkling. His grin spread across his face showing off his sharp canines and Lucy could swear that the sight of it took her breath away. He stood in one fluid movement and took one step away from Bora's unconscious form.

"Hey, Luce. Told ya I'd come get you if ya weren't back before me, didn't I?" He teased sheepishly.

Tears welled in Lucy's eyes at his words and she let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding. A short, somewhat hysterical laugh escaped her lips before she bolted over to him and wrapped her arms around him so tightly that it was probably uncomfortable. But if it was, Natsu didn't complain. Instead, he wound one arm around around her just as tightly and stroked her hair with the other. They held on to each other like that for several moments, silently relishing in the fact that they were once again together and they were both safe.

"Sorry it took me so long." He murmured into her hair.

She only squeezed her arms tighter in response, hoping he understood that he had nothing to apologize for. She was immensely grateful for him, no matter the time it took for him to get there.

Lucy inhaled deeply, hoping to forever remember this new scent that she now compared to 'security' and 'warmth'. Little did she know, Natsu was doing the same.

Slowly Lucy's trembling came to an end. After what felt like an eternity, she reluctantly pulled back enough to look up into Natsu's dark green eyes. "Natsu," she began, choking slightly on his name. "Where is Levy? Is she okay?"

He grinned again, reassuringly. "She's home, gettin' patched up by Wendy and the old hag right now. Speakin' of..." his eyes narrowed and he held her away at arms length to look her up and down. His eyes scrutinized every inch of her body and she felt a blush creep up her cheeks.

"H-hey!" She protested and squirmed in his arms, but she knew it was futile. His grip was like steele. She rolled her eyes and stood still, allowing him to continue. Besides, she knew he was only checking her for injuries. She was probably only imagining his eyes lingering for a fraction of a second too long on places they shouldn't. And she was _definitely_ imagining the way his cheeks were lightly flushed after his close assessment.

He dropped his hands and looked away. His voice was a little gruff when he spoke again. "Bastard. I should'a killed him. He deserves it." He stared at the ground, lost in thought.

Lucy shuddered. The open window Natsu had come in through was letting in a breeze that seemed to chill Lucy to the core. She must have looked worse than she probably realized if Natsu couldn't look at her anymore...Thoughts of everything that had transpired came flooding into her mind. When would she stop being the damsel in distress that everyone in this world had to look after? She had just seen first hand how amazingly strong Natsu was. Would she ever be able to say the same about herself?

Not only that, but how was she even supposed to begin to process everything her and Bora had talked about? Was her father really alive? Or was this all some sick, twisted mistake that she had been dragged into? No, that was impossible...After all, Bora had a picture of her mother.

The never ending list of questions just seemed to continue to pile up and she wrapped her arms around herself in an attempt to protect herself from them. She would find the answers soon enough. Right now she just wanted to feel grateful, and none of those other confusing emotions. She wanted Natsu to know it. She was safe. He was here. It was over...

Or so she thought.

Just as she opened her mouth to express her gratitude for her pink haired friend, his head had whipped around and his expression cut her short. His eyes were filled with a crazed panic she had never seen before.

Her heart seemed to stop beating and the breath was stolen from her lungs just by the sight of him. For a moment, Natsu actually looked _scared._ But that didn't make sense to Lucy because what was there for him to be scared of?

She didn't have time to question him, or even move towards him. He was in front of her in one instant and in the next she was thrown over his shoulder. She let out a squeak of surprise but didn't struggle. She knew that whatever he was doing was being done for a reason. She trusted him wholeheartedly.

That is, she _did_. Right up until he jumped and catapulted them both straight out of the open window he had entered through. Panic seized Lucy and she tried to scream as they plunged down out of the lighthouse and into the night, but the air escaped her. _This is it,_ she thought _, we're going to die._

She clutched onto Natsu and squeezed her eyes shut, expecting the sharp, hard impact with the rocky cliff she had seen below. She was not anticipating the harsh cold water they were met with instead. Natsu must have launched themselves out of the window with such force that they completely flew over the cliff and landed in the ocean. They fell from such a height that they were sent quite a ways below the surface of the water and if Natsu hadn't been there to pull Lucy upwards, she probably wouldn't have been able to tell up from down in the dark water.

As soon as her head broke the surface and she was able to desperately gulp in air, she attempted to scream at Natsu. She, of course, didn't have a chance to utter a single syllable. He firmly pressed his palm against her mouth and his desperate eyes filled her vision, silently begging for her to stay quiet.

Before she could ponder any further about Natsu's sudden madness, an explosion deafened her ears, replacing all sound with a disorienting ringing. The dragon slayer completely covered her body with his own, protecting her as debris and rubble rained down all around them. Lucy looked around wildly, hoping to piece together what was happening. Smoke and fire were all that was left of the lighthouse that they had been in only moments before.

Her mind seemed to process this slowly. Why did the lighthouse just _explode!?_ She realized it was hard to envision what would have happened had Natsu not shown up and thrown them both out of the window right in the nick of time. There would be nothing left of her. She would have been obliterated, along with Bora who had been left unconscious inside.

That last thought struck her through the heart. He was dead. A man she had been talking to minutes prior was now reduced to nothing but ash. She was alive and he was dead. He had done some terrible things, but that didn't mean that he deserved to die...

Lucy's guilt and confusion, combined with that damned ringing in her head and possible concussion, sent her over the edge. She passed out, shivering in the frigid water despite how warm Natsu was beside her.

OoOoOoO

Natsu was thrilled. His guess about going towards the harbor had been the right one. Lucy was here. Lucy was safe. Lucy was currently _in his arms_. But then he had checked her and his happiness had faltered. He looked her over for any abrasions or lacerations, trying his hardest to ignore how her clothes were torn in some places, revealing a little too much skin. He cursed himself when he felt his cheeks redden, but focused his attention on her injuries.

He could smell blood all over her and it made him feel angry and helpless. He grumbled about how he should have killed the man he had knocked out, but he knew that wasn't the problem. The problem was that he should have been with Lucy. He had promised to protect her and then he let her go and get kidnapped. What kind of protector was he?

And none if this would have happened if Erza had just let Lucy take a bath at his house. Natsu huffed at the thought. Well, she had better get used to it. From now on, Natsu wasn't letting the girl out of his sight, Erza's wrath be damned... _Tck. Who gets kidnapped within their first week of being in a completely new world? What a weirdo..._ He rolled his eyes and rubbed his forehead at the thought _._ He wasn't used to feeling so...what's the word...unhinged? This whole ordeal had thrown him off, causing emotions to stir within him that he wasn't used to feeling.

In fact, ever since he had found her he's been feeling that way. He's just been off. But in a good way? Or maybe not even 'off' at all. Maybe he had always been 'off' and now he was 'on'? _Yuck, what does that even mean?_ He scrunched up his nose. See, these were the things he wasn't used to. These weird thoughts. And they were all brought on by a certain blonde that he was insanely aware of at the moment. Maybe she just has this effect on everyone. Maybe it's one of her alien powers. _Yeah, that sounds pretty reasonable,_ He silently concluded _._ That makes sense. But she didn't tell him she had powers! How mean of her to keep something like that from him. Oh, he was so going to have a serious talk with Lucy when they-

Two things reached Natsu simultaneously, yanking him from his thoughts immediately. One was an acrid smell. It was revolting, like a mixture of the most bitter aroma he could think of and rotten eggs. The second thing was voices. Two, by the sound of it, to be exact. However, he didn't have time to focus on what they were saying. He had to get Lucy out of that lighthouse, _now._ He knew exactly what that smell was. Terror seized him momentarily and then he was moving without even thinking. He threw her over his shoulder and bolted towards the window he had climbed through previously. Lucy was going to be mad at him for this, but he didn't care. She didn't know that smell like he did. That was the smell of explosives. So without another thought, he launched them both in to the night.

The ocean water was strikingly cold, even to him. He pulled himself and Lucy to the surface and felt a slight pang of guilt as he covered his hand over her mouth to prevent her from yelling, like he was sure she was going to. She was shaking terribly. Thankfully, she seemed to sense his urgency and she remained quiet.

That was when the air erupted into flames and smoke. The explosion tore through the sky, sending debris and rubble in every direction. He immediately covered Lucy entirely, protecting her from any falling objects. He noticed her trembling increase significantly and he held on to her tighter, hoping to warm her slightly.

The sound of the explosion should have deafened Natsu, but thankfully he had the ears of a dragon. He was able to faintly make out the same two voices from before. They were coming from somewhere in the sky. He searched for them, but try as he might, Natsu couldn't see anything thanks to the smoke clouding the air. Frustrated, he instead focused his attention on what the two strangers were saying.

One of them was cackling maniacally.

"That is enough, Jackal." The second stranger said in a calm, monotonous voice. "Are you sure this was where the celestial magic power was traced?"

Despite the command, the first voice, Jackal, continued to snicker. "Loosen up, Tempester! Master hardly ever lets us out anymore to have fun."

There was a pause. "Tempester?" The second voice (whom Natsu assumed was Tempester) questioned.

Jackal scoffed. "Urk. Right. I forget about your continuous identity crisis. Sheesh."

Tempester didn't seem fazed as he repeated his question. "Are you sure this was where the celestial magic power was traced?"

"Ugh, yes, _Calamity_ , I'm sure." Jackal sneered. "I heard them inside. It's taken care of. _No one_ survives my explosions, just look at my masterpiece!" He finished proudly. "Besides, even if this was the wrong location, we could just track the power again and burn the next place to the ground as well!" He let out a sound of excitement. "Kind of sounds fun, don't you think? I almost hope we got it wrong!"

When Natsu heard Tempester speak again, he was further away, the voice fading with distance. "We have completed our task. Let us return to Tartaros."

"Ugh! What a bore. I hope next time I'm sent out with someone more fun, like Kyoka." Jackal grumbled, but Natsu could tell by how faint his voice had become that he had begrudgingly followed Tempester.

Natsu waited numbly for a few more moments, straining to hear. When he was sure that the two were long gone, he let out a breath. Normally, Natsu would have gone after those guys. Normally, he would have attacked the second he had gotten Lucy to safety. But those guys weren't normal and this wasn't a normal situation.

He had felt an immense amount of power from where those two mystery strangers had been. It was enough to make his skin crawl, and although he was itching to fight, he knew that he wouldn't have been able to fight them both in his current state. One, maybe. But both at the same time? He wasn't so sure and he wasn't willing to risk it when Lucy was injured and relying on him.

Speaking of Lucy, she was abnormally still. "Luce?" He held her out at arms length and her head merely rolled down, silence being her only response. "Shit." He cursed. She had passed out. He wasn't surprised, what with that nasty wound on her head combined with the shock of the explosion and the hypothermia-cold waters. He started to awkwardly paddle with one arm towards the shore, his other arm wrapped securely around Lucy making sure to keep her head above the water.

He would worry later about finding this Jackal and Tempester. He would worry later about the fact that, for some reason, a ton of people seemed to be hunting down Lucy. He would worry later about eating, even though, man, was he _starving_. No, he would worry about all of that later because right now, he only had one thing-or rather, one person-to worry about; Lucy. And nothing would get in his way of making sure that she was safe.

* * *

 **Voila! Fin.**

 **Well, that took a turn for the worse, didn't it? So, now we know that not only is Lucy's Padre searching for her (which was learned in the previous chapter), but for someee reason Jackal and Tempester (whom we all love to hate!) were sent to destroy the person with the celestial magic power *cough*Lucy*cough***

 **Hmm...I wonder why? Do you guys have any thoughts?:p Let's hear 'em!**

 **The action is finally starting to take place! Things will all start to clear up and come together soon:) And I promise it'll get back to some lightheartedness soon! I need it after all of this serious stuff:p**

 **SulliMike23 : Ahh, thank you so much for your review!:D I'm thrilled that you've been keeping up with the story and even more ecstatic to hear from you! Thank you:) I'm glad that you can see that Lucy is starting to somewhat adapt. I really wanted it to be noticeable that there will be development for her. She started off as this mellow, calm girl who took after her mother because that was all she knew. But now that she's away from that closed up environment she's able to crawl out of that shell of hers! I love all of the questions and thoughts:) One of those questions will be answered very soon! Thanks so much for reviewing and reading! You rock!:D**

 **SunFlowerChrysalis : Moc, thank you so much! :D I thought about dragging out Lucy's kidnapping. But I wanted to keep it similar to the actual story in the sense that when Lucy was captured by Phantom Lord and she learned about her father looking for her, it was within that same episode/chapter that Natsu came to the rescue! Yay, NaLu ^.^ Plus, you're right, writing about torture scenes, or sad scenes in general, is emotionally draining!T^T I know, I felt bad for writing Gajeel like that! But knowing that he's just as hotheaded as Natsu, if not more, I just knew that he'd have to react badly towards everyone when he found out Levy was hurt. I like Gajeel a lot though, he'll get better in future chapters!:D Ahhh, thank you so muchhhhh! I hope uni is going well and I'm looking forward to more of your awesome story as well!^.^ (ANYONE READING THIS SHOULD GO READ SUNFLOWERCHRYSALIS'S STORY RIGHT NOW!) hehe:3**

 **arcadea333 : Oh my glob, thank you! You're so sweet! T^T I always get nervous about posting action chapters, but you make me feel good about them! Thank youuuuu! Hehe, a lot of people forgot Bora! I wanted him to be the very first villain she encounters, since that's how it is in the actual FT:) just to throw in some similarities! Ahhh, I love reading your reviews, you're awesome! Thank you for your kind words, they make me soo happy every time!:D **

**Life Death rabidlovingfangirl : Hehehe, yay! I'm glad you were looking forward to this one! I hope it lived up to the previous chapters!T^T**

 **Aya Rose : Well, hello there!:D I love the name Aya! Ahhh, thank you so much for reviewing! I always get so excited when I get a review from someone new, it warms me up ^_^ And Yay! That's awesome that you knew it would be Bora! You're the only person that guessed it! You've got some pretty dang good theories there, Ms. Rose! *cough* . and thank you so much for mentioning the World Key! I'm glad you find it to be as interesting as I do! I'm super excited to share more about it with you all!:D Man, it would be so awesome to have one of those...ahh, and of course yay for NaLu! He'd be a pretty rotten dragon if he didn't come to his mate's rescue! Ahh, thank you again so much for reviewing! You're awesome! It makes me so happy/excited/thrilled/all-of-the-good-emotions to hear kind words like yours! I look forward to hearing more of your theories! **

**You guys are so awesome! You make me very happy! Thank you so much for the reviews, follows, and favorites! I'm brimming with creativity right now, so I hope to get more out as soon as possible!**

 **Thank you lovelies! Have a wonderful day/night/morning!**

 **xoxo**


	17. Let Down Your Long Hair

**Bonjour, lovelies! Welcome back for Chapter 17! Holy cow, I didn't realize that this story has already reached over 50k words! And it's not even a fraction of the way done yet...I have so much outlined to be written, I'm thinking this fic will _at the least_ end up being a couple hundred thousand words by the time it's done...Wow, that's insane! But I'm so excited for the rest! **

**OH! Also! _ Everyone should go read 'Fallen Star' by Fiery Keys!_ It's an ongoing Fairy Tail fic and it's amazing! T^T So please go read it and review!**

 **Thank you guys sooo much for sticking with me throughout this journey. You all are amazing! So please enjoy this lighthearted chapter before we get back to the serious buisness! ^.^**

* * *

 _Her fingers combed through her long, golden hair absentmindedly as she hummed peacefully to herself. The silky mane billowed down her back, spilling onto the floor and taking up a vast majority of the small room she was currently held captive in. She gazed longingly out the only window, peering from her perch at the top of the soaring tower._

 _She didn't know much of what was going on, where she was, or even_ who _she was. The only thing she was certain of was the fact that she was locked in a tower with no means of escape. However, for some reason she wasn't bothered in the slightest. No, on the contrary, she was actually surprisingly calm about the situation. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but something told her that she would be just fine. Maybe, hopefully soon, someone would come strolling along and she would be able to call for help out her window! And then she could let down her long hair and her savior could climb up and help her obtain her freedom._

 _That seemed the most rational solution to her problems, right? The most logical...So it came with great surprise when she suddenly heard a cheerful, somewhat goofy voice from behind her. "Hey Luce!"_

 _She gasped and twirled around to find a grinning, pink haired boy standing behind her. "Wha-what?" She sputtered, shocked by how familiar he seemed and the simple fact that he was even there at all. How was there someone in her tower? How did he get up there? Was this even real?_

 _His grin widened and he cocked his head to the side before repeating himself. "I said, 'hey, Luce'!" He then looked her up and down and whistled. "Whoa, when'd you get all that hair?!"_

" _I-I...W-what? No, my name is Rapunzel." She said as her eyebrows scrunched together. That was her name, right? She didn't know a Luce...or did she? Her head was starting to feel cloudy with confusion._

 _The strange boy chuckled. "Whatever, weirdo." He moved closer and grabbed her hand, causing her to gasp. How forward of him! "C'mon, time to go!"_

" _Go?" She questioned, bewildered. "Go where?"_

 _He laughed again as if the answer was obvious. "Home, ya dork!" He gave her another crooked smile and something in her chest fluttered. Maybe a home with this person wouldn't be all that bad? She was starting to warm up to the idea until he moved even closer and reached towards her. "Alright, up you go!"_

 _Next thing she knew, she was thrown over his shoulder and he was climbing up onto the windowsill._

" _Wait! W-what are you doing?! Are you crazy?!" This wasn't what she had been thinking! Her rescuer was supposed to climb_ up _the tower, not_ throw her out of it! _She struggled, but to no avail. With an elated shout of joy, he jumped out of the window and they soared towards the ground._

 _Fear and panic filled her mind as the ground grew closer and closer. They were going to die. This was it...Any second, they'd be flattened against the ground. They were only inches away._

Lucy's eyes flew open at the last moment. Her heart raced sporadically as she gathered her thoughts and reassured herself that it was just a dream. With each calming deep breath she took, more memories flooded their way into her mind. Her chest felt heavy as she recalled the events that took place in the lighthouse. _Hmm, I guess the light house was kind of similar to a tower_ , she thought with a dreary bemusement, _that's probably what brought on that bizarre 'Reverse-Rapunzel' dream_.

She realized with a start that there was a hole in her memory. She couldn't recollect anything that happened after the explosion. In fact, she didn't even know where she currently was at the moment. She was definitely on a bed, so she couldn't be at Natsu's, considering he only had a hammock and a small sofa in his house. She sat up, deciding to further investigate her surroundings, only to discover a sleeping dragon slayer sprawled out across the foot of her mattress.

Lucy froze in place when she saw him, then couldn't help but smile at the sight. He was curled in a ball, legs slightly hanging off of one side of the bed, and she could hear light snores coming from his direction. She found herself staring at his face, intrigued by how peaceful and vulnerable he looked. His hair, which looked surprisingly soft, hung across his forehead and a small part of Lucy yearned to know how it would feel to glide her fingers through it. _Shush_ , she scolded herself while blushing furiously. _Bad Lucy, don't be weird._

She smiled fondly at the boy as she realized that he must have been staying by her side in order to watch over her; how else could she explain the reason behind him sleeping curled up at the end of her bed like a cat? _Oh Natsu,_ she thought with adoring appreciation, _I owe you so much already..._

Lucy had just begun to contemplate all the ways she could return the favor to her friend when she pulled her legs up to her chest, repositioning herself on the mattress. She had forgotten about his hypersensitive hearing, and therefore didn't think about moving slowly or quietly. Natsu was immediately pulled from his slumber upon hearing the rustling of the sheets as she moved. He quickly jumped to his feet, hands lit ablaze with scorching flames, startling Lucy enough to nearly fall off the bed.

The dragon slayer swung his hands around with his eyes half lidded, clearly disoriented and looking as though he still had one foot firmly planted in the land of dreams. "Wha-wazzat?! Not the hair! Fight me, Gray!" Natsu exclaimed wildly, his voice scratchy with lethargy and his words slurring together slightly.

His head immediately whipped to the side when Lucy's soft giggles made their way to his ears and his flames died out instantly. She watched as his dark green eyes widened with recognition and he was yanked the rest of the way into reality. The blonde giggled even more at his reaction. When her laughter subsided, her expression softened and she regarded him with amusement.

"Interesting dreams, huh?" She asked with a cocked brow.

Natsu's face broke out into a blinding grin when she spoke. He sunk back down onto the mattress, settling down as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Lucy chuckled at how adorable the act was before she continued speaking. "It's okay, mine was pretty weird too."

He cocked his head to the side curiously, but instead of questioning her about her statement he greeted her with, "Mornin' Luce! Er-well I guess it's nighttime now. You slept the whole day away, I was so bored!" He whined while shaking his head disapprovingly at her before continuing. His voice changed to a softer pitch; one laced with concern. "How are you feelin'? Does anything hurt? I can go get Wendy if ya want." He eyed her for a moment, assessing her appearance intensely before grinning. "You look terrible." He added playfully.

Her eyes roll skywards. "Geez, thanks." She sarcastically responded but smiled at the boy nonetheless. "But I'm fine," She began gradually, answering his first question. "Thanks to you. I can't thank you enough, Natsu...You've saved me twice now and I just don't know how to repay you." She reached across the bed and took his hand in hers, looking him in the eyes with as much sincerity as she could muster. "I owe you everything. Thank you."

The pink-haired male flushed as his eyes shot down to their interlocked hands. He didn't respond but instead flipped their hands upside down so that her wrist was faced upwards exposing a patch of shiny, warped skin. He stared down at the scars burned into her flesh from Bora's purple flames and began speaking lowly. "Wendy and the old woman healed the burns, but they couldn't get rid of the scars...You had a pretty bad concussion, but they took care of it; though your head will probably be sore for a while. That's why you're bandaged up."

Lucy reached up with her free hand to find that there were indeed bandages wrapped around her forehead like a snug headband; somehow she hadn't noticed before then.

Natsu continued, not looking up from her wrist. "I didn't get there fast enough. You shouldn't thank me for anything, you still got hurt." His other hand traced circles over top of her faded white scars, eyeing them with a mixture of disappointment and anger.

She squeezed his hand gently. "Hey. Stop that." She chided nimbly. "It's not _your_ fault this happened. It's _your_ fault that I'm here now _and_ safe. If it weren't for you, I'd probably be somewhere in the middle of the ocean on that ship with those barbaric men."

Natsu looked sick at the very mention of being on a boat, but Lucy missed the humorous sight; she had directed her gaze down to the marred scarring on her wrist and regarded the skin curiously. "So please don't look at this mark and feel bad. Look at it and feel proud; this scar is a sign that I'm alive. And because of that, we get to have more adventures together." She smirked before adding, "Besides, scars are supposed to be sexy, I think. So it's not all that bad." Lucy looked up at him once she finished and grinned widely, proving further that she really wasn't bothered by the inadequate disfigurement on her skin.

Natsu stared at her blankly for a moment before a small smile formed on his lips. "You're so weird." He teased, his negative expression now completely replaced with an amused one.

Lucy opened her mouth to retort that in actuality _he_ was the weird one, but before she got to say anything, the door to the foreign room she was in burst open, flooding the space with light. Lucy heard the scuffle of many sets of feet filing in through the doorway as her eyes adjusted to the new, bright luminosity.

"Lu! Oh, thank goodness you're awake!"

Lucy squinted up in time to see a small blue blur running towards her. Next thing she knew, Levy's arms were wrapped tightly around her neck and the bluenette was clinging onto her for dear life.

Her eyes widened and she eagerly returned the embrace with her free hand. "Levy!" She exclaimed happily. "Are you okay?! I was so worried about you, I had no idea what happened!"

Levy pulled back to smile reassuringly at Lucy. With a wave of her hand she said, "Oh, I'm fine! Gajeel found me after we were attacked. When I came to, he had already taken me to Wendy and Ms. Porlyusica. They fixed me right up." Her tone was laced with affection and gratefulness for the iron dragon slayer.

Natsu, on the other hand, did not seem too fond of the mentioning of the other slayer's name. She felt his grip tighten around her palm and Lucy realized with a start that he hadn't let go of her hand. She felt a blush creep up her cheeks but all thoughts of embarrassment were immediately replaced as soon as she glanced up at Natsu's direction. He was tense, ready to pounce at any moment, glaring viciously at the dark haired male that stood protectively behind Levy. Contrary wise, Gajeel was staring furiously off into space, completely ignoring the existence of the fire mage.

Lucy pondered what could have happened between the two males to cause such animosity between them, but she was dragged away from her thoughts when Levy began speaking again.

"Okay, so start talking Lu." She demanded. "What happened? Why'd those people come after you? Natsu refused to tell us anything about what happened until you woke up." Levy finished with a huff and crossed her arms, frustrated at the fact that Natsu had held out on sharing information with her.

Lucy raised a questioning brow at Natsu, to which he just shrugged his shoulders with a nonchalant grin.

"Yes, I think we all would like to know what happened." A new voice spoke up, bringing Lucy's attention to the rest of the company in the room for the first time. Her eyes scanned the faces of Master, Erza, Gray, Juvia, and a select few others, all wearing varying expressions of concern, relief, and attentiveness.

Lucy took a deep breath. She knew this was coming, of course they would want to what happened and the reasons behind it. She was just dreading talking about it because she herself didn't know exactly what had happened. Part of her felt like it had been one long, terrible nightmare, but the fresh scar on her wrist was there to tell her otherwise. She began to work up her courage, knowing full well that the people that had worried about her and rescued her deserved an explanation. So she would suck it up and explain the events to the best of her abilities, whether she liked it or not.

With new resolve and determination, Lucy began her story. "The man behind it was named Bora." She cringed when she realized she spoke of him in the past tense, but she trudged on, not allowing herself to feel guilty at the moment. She could feel bad later. "He said that he normally ran an underground slave trade, but that that wasn't why he had kidnapped me."

"Bora of Prominence..." Happy murmured from across the room, recognizing the name. "Oh yeah, I think I heard he had been kicked out of a guild a while back for using illegal magic."

There were a few mumbled agreements as others recalled hearing the same thing. When everyone's eyes were once again focused on Lucy she continued hesitantly. "Well, apparently him and his men had taken up a job request to find me..." She paused, eyes cast down towards her and Natsu's joined hands.

She felt him give her hand a gentle squeeze, wordlessly assuring her that everything was okay and coaxing her to go on. She silently thanked him for the encouragement and began speaking again. "Bora said that he'd been hired by my...father. The task was to locate and retrieve me, and possibly my mother, and deliver us to him. Supposedly Bora's group wasn't the only one to know about the job though. He mentioned that the request had been posted for every dark guild, slave trade, and bandit group in all of Fiore. Whichever group found me and returned me to my father first would get paid handsomely by the sound of it. And if they found me _and_ my mother, they'd get double the reward. I guess I should be thankful that I traveled here alone. If it had been me and my mother then she'd be in danger too.."

Lucy shook her head in disbelief. "The only thing that doesn't make sense is that my mom told me that my father died when I was a little girl. I don't even remember anything about him, so I never even questioned it. I just don't know what to believe now. Then again, my mom has already proven to be very dishonest about a lot of things, so why not add one more thing to the list?" She laughed coldly, then winced at the negative sound, feeling guilty for directing it towards her mother. "I don't know, it's just all so confusing. Why would my mom take me and run away to another world if she knew that my father was still alive in this one? I'm just left wondering what else she could have possibly kept from me."

No one seemed to know what to say right away as they let everything Lucy said sink in. However, to everyone's surprise, it was Natsu who found his voice first and spoke calmly and reassuringly to Lucy. "I know it's hard, but you shouldn't blame your mom. It sounds to me like your old man isn't that great of a guy if he's relying on dark guilds to do his dirty work for him. Your mom was probably just trying to protect you by keeping all of this, and him, from you. Somethin' real bad musta happened, and she probably thought she was doing the only thing she could to keep you safe." His voice rung with sincerity and a seriousness that no one knew he was capable of. Lucy got the sad feeling that he was speaking from experience, and made a mental note to ask Natsu more about himself later. She wanted to get to know him better; to find out more about the person before her whom was appearing to be more than what met the eye. She felt there was a certain complexity to him that no one had been able to completely divulge yet and it intrigued her. She wished to discover more.

A smile tugged at her lips as she regarded him with gratification. "Yeah," She began hopefully. "Yes, you're right. She's exactly that kind of person. Thank you."

He returned her smile with his crooked grin and Happy snicked in the crowd. "In looo-oomph!"

The blue cat was cut off by Erza smacking her hand over his mouth. "Not now, Happy. Can't you tell this is a serious conversation?" A dark aura emanated from the red head as she glared icily at the feline.

"A-aye, sir!" Happy's muffled reply was heard from behind Erza's palm.

"Good." She removed her hand and Happy immediately flew to hide behind Natsu. "Wahh! Natsu, help! She's scaryyy!"

"Gah, Happy! Don't drag me into this!" Natsu said fearfully just as Erza's head snapped to their direction.

"What was that?" Her eyes glittered menacingly and she took a step forward.

"Eep! Scary!" Natsu squeaked unintentionally.

"O-ho?" Erza's eyes flashed and suddenly she had a long, deadly looking sword in each hand. Lucy could have sworn those definitely weren't there before...And just like that, Natsu was on his feet in an instant, Happy clinging to his back with tears in his eyes.

"Ahh!" The pair screamed in unison as they ran out of the room, chased the entire way by a terrifying red head with intent to kill.

A ruckus could be heard ricocheting throughout the halls as the chase continued. Lucy, along with everyone else in the room, openly laughed, finding the whole situation very comical as they heard the screams echo from both Natsu and Happy. She knew Erza wouldn't actually hurt them...er-well, at least not _kill_ them anyway. So it felt good for Lucy to take a momentary break from all of the confusion she had been trapped in and just lose herself in laughter with all of her new friends.

A series of crashes rang through the halls, followed by the sound of glass shattering and then wood splintering. Master paled at the noise and tears began to stream down his face. "What have I done to deserve this? How many times are we going to have to rebuild this place?!"

Moments later, Erza reentered the room, holding a limp Natsu by the collar of his shirt in one hand as well as a crying Happy by the scruff of his neck in the other hand. She looked proud and avenged as she announced. "It's alright, everyone. I have restrained the scoundrels. No more foolishness shall occur."

Gray rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah? Who was it that destroyed all that stuff we just heard? Are you sure _you're_ not the scoundrel here?"

Erza's eyes widened and she dropped Natsu and Happy to the ground. They groaned, but stayed where they fell, crumpled in a heap. Erza, however, had somehow managed to drop to her knees in a far off corner of the room. A cloud of gloom hung above her as she seemed to contemplate life with dismay.

"Could it be true? Is it I that is the true scoundrel? Perhaps I let my fierce feelings get the best of me and stoop myself to be no better than the likes of Natsu. Oh, what should I do?"

"Hey!" groaned an indignant Natsu from his spot on the floor.

Lucy once again laughed out loud, affectionately taking in the sight of everyone in the room, wanting to permanently remember this moment. Everyone in Fairy Tail was strange, and somewhat mad, but she wouldn't have them any other way. Would Alice ever want the Mad Hatter to change? Of course not! Then he'd just be a plain old Hatter and no one wanted that! Those were the same feelings she had about this wonderful group of people that she was lucky enough to fall into the hands of.

After everyone had gotten out a few good laughs at their guildmates' antics, Levy turned her gaze back to Lucy.

"Well, now that that's over, finish telling us your story, Lu. What happened next?"

Lucy scrunched up her nose as she recalled the events. "Well, Natsu came right on time and took Bora out easily." She blushed as she recalled their reunion, deciding to definitely skip over that part. "Then I thought he lost his mind because he suddenly threw us out of a window at the top of a lighthouse! We landed in the ocean and seconds later the entire building exploded. Everything after that is a complete blank. The next thing I remember is waking up here." She gestured to the room, assuming that it must be like a makeshift infirmary in the guildhall. She was considering all of the possibilities of what could have happened after her memories went black when Natsu lifted a shaky finger into the air.

"I guess this is where I fill in the rest." Natsu said weakly, still collapsed on the floor with Happy. "Right after I remember who I am." He dropped his hand and groaned, earning another chuckle from Lucy.

The sound seemed to pour some life back into the fire dragon slayer. He pushed himself up into a sitting position, eyeing Master seriously as he remembered the conversation he overheard that had taken place after the explosion. "I don't really understand it, Gramps, but I think there's somethin' bigger going on here than we think."

And Natsu began recounting his tale.

* * *

 **This chapter was fun to write because it was more lighthearted than the previous couple of chapters! Everyone's back together! Yay!:D I seriously love writing Erza so much. I'd love to have her as an older sister!**

 **Anyways, next chapter will be revealing something huge, so stay tuned!:D And as always, thank you all so much for reading! You're the besttt!^.^**

 **SunFlowerChrysalis : Moc, thank you so much! As always, your reviews fill me with joy! ^.^ I'm glad you felt that way about the last chapter. When I was writing it I felt like all of the dark events that happened were worth it just for the NaLu scene:p Haha, he's so oblivious to his feelings, he has no idea what's in store! I can't wait for the 'conversation' chapter! It's going to be so hard to write, though, I may need your help! Thank you so much for the compliments, I'm gushing! Ahh! You're so awesome! **

**arcadea333 : Haha, yes! Of course, Natsu the badass will always strike when it comes to his precious Lucy! ^.^ THANK YOU SO MUCH! When I read your review, I nearly fell out of my chair! Haha, the 'beautiful angel of fanfiction' comment had me grinning like a mad woman! *bows fervently* Thank you, thank you!**

 **Lyonsgirl : Thank you so much! It means a lot to me to know that people look forward to new chapters! You rock, thank you! T^T**

 **Fiery Keys : Oh my goodness, you're an angel! T^T Thank you so much for all of your reviews! I was smiling idiotically as I read each one! Thank you soo much. I'm so glad that you've been finding certain chapters funny, I really want people to laugh at certain parts more than anything! Gahh, I just want to keep thanking you over and over again but I don't want to sound too redundant...Ah, who cares, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! ^_^**

 **THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH! I've been writing like crazy lately because you guys have just been making me so happy with all of your kind words! Hopefully I'll be able to edit and post the next chapter within the next couple of days! ^.^**

 **Thank you to everyone who favorited and followed as well! Let me know what you thought of this chapter! ^.^**

 **Have a wonderful day! Until next time,**

 **XOXOXO**


	18. Lucy Heartfilia

**Ahh, I'm so happy that this story reached 50 reviews! T^T You guys rock! Your kind words seriously mean so much to me! Thank you all for your support, I can't wait to share more of this adventure together! :)**

 **Enjoy the next chapter!**

* * *

"-And then the bastards were gone before I even had the chance to see what they looked like." Natsu finished recalling the events with a huff and crossed his arms angrily. "I've never felt power like that before. These guys are serious business, that's for sure. I would'a gone after them, but I wasn't about to leave Luce again, not after what happened the first time..."

Lucy's mind whirled with a mixture of thoughts and feelings while everyone else openly gaped at Natsu. Who were these new people? Was everyone in this 'Tartaros' group looking for her too? She felt frozen in place as these questions, and many more, swirled in her mind.

"Hmm. This certainly is a predicament..." Master grumbled as he crossed his arms and closed his eyes, making him appear deep in thought.

"So, wait...let me get this straight." Cana began while tightly gripping a bottle of booze. "Does this mean that Lucy's dad is looking for her and her mom so that he can _kill them?_ "

Lucy numbly looked at Natsu, who shook his head. "Nah. Lucy's dad wouldn't go through all the trouble of havin' someone bring her to him if he just wanted her dead. To me, this sounded like somethin' else entirely." His dark eyes darted to Lucy's shocked ones before bouncing back to Master. "Jackass and Temperature, or whatever their names were, never mentioned Luce's name. They just said somethin' about how they traced her celestial spirit magic to the lighthouse, and then they blew it up."

"So this group doesn't know what Lucy looks like..." Mira spoke softly. "That's good, at the very least. That means we just have to find a way to conceal her magic power; if we can do that we can make it to where they won't be able to trace her again."

"That's a good idea, Mira. That would ensure Lucy's safety and also give us time to find out exactly who we're dealing with." Erza said darkly. "Tartaros...I've heard of the name. They're one of the dark guilds in the Barem Alliance, if I recall correctly. We've just never had any problems with them up until now..."

Cana whistled lowly, attempting to lighten the atmosphere a little bit. "Well damn, Lucy. Looks like you have a lot of people looking for you. What'd you do that was so bad?" She teased playfully and wiggled her eyebrows.

Natsu spoke up before the blonde had a chance to respond. "You're tellin' me! She's only been here for a few days and someone's already tryin' to kill her." He then turned a wide, sharp-toothed grin towards Lucy. "Looks like you really are Fairy Tail material, after all!"

Something warmed inside of Lucy at his statement; slowly she began to thaw and feeling returned to her fingers and feet. As the warmth spread, she tried to rationally pull her thoughts together. Things had suddenly gotten a little bit more complicated, but so what? She clearly had friends that weren't going to leave her side. She was in good hands. And even though every fiber in her being was telling her to be afraid, when she looked around at all of people in the room who supported her, she somehow managed to push those thoughts of fear onto the back burner.

Besides, how bad could this Tartaros guild really be? She had seen Natsu's strength firsthand, and there was _no way_ that there could possibly be anyone stronger than that. Or at least, that's what she hoped...And not only was she protected and backed up by the strongest wizards in Fiore, she was also determined to become a strong wizard herself. She was endlessly grateful for Fairy Tail's protection, but she wished to become strong enough to offer them the same feeling of security in return. When the time came, she wanted to have the ability to keep her friends safe, just like they had repeatedly done for her.

It was then that Lucy decided that she would ask someone to train her. Certainly, this issue with Tartaros wouldn't just disappear. If they could just bide their time until Lucy grew stronger, then maybe when Tartaros came looking for her again she could hold her own against them? Well, perhaps not hold her own...But she hoped to at least have the strength to stand alongside Fairy Tail, rather than helplessly stand behind them.

Lucy was pulled away from her thoughts by the sound of Makarov clearing his throat. She watched as he unfolded his arms and opened his eyes, apparently having come to some silent conclusion while he had been concentrating. "I have to say that I agree with my boy here, Lucy. You are indeed 'Fairy Tail material', as Natsu put it. And although I wish that for once people _weren't_ trying to kill us...we protect our own." Master gave Lucy a warm smile.

She felt her eyes water as appreciation swept through her. "Thank you, Master. Natsu. And everyone. Thank you all so much, for everything." She fiddled anxiously with her fingers before continuing. "I'm sorry for all of the trouble that I've caused you all."

Natsu and Gray snorted simultaneously at that.

"Trouble? This is nothin'." Natsu said with a grin.

"Hate to say it, but I agree with the idiot on this one." Gray grumbled with a small reassuring smile towards Lucy.

Juvia held up a hand. "Juvia agrees with Gray-sama. Fairy Tail is always getting into trouble of some sort. This is normal. Juvia's love rival should not be so hard on herself."

Lucy sweat dropped . "Er-Juvia, I'm not your-"

"I believe that settles it then!" Master announced, cutting Lucy off. "I'm going to go relay this information to the council and find out what they know about Tartaros. Levy, could you please go find Freed? Tell him that we need an enchantment cast around Magnolia that will conceal celestial magic power. Help him in any way that you can. If you're successful, then that should make it impossible for anyone to trace Lucy's power while she's within the perimeter of the enchantment."

Levy quickly agreed. She gave Lucy a hug before bolting out of the room, dragging Gajeel along with her. _She sure has a lot of energy_ , Lucy thought bemusedly. Master followed them out soon after, with Mira trailing behind saying something about needing to tend to the bar, leaving Natsu, Happy, Erza, Gray, Juvia, and Cana in the room with Lucy.

"Lucy, can I ask you something?" Cana questioned as she took a seat in one of the empty chairs beside the bed.

The blonde regarded her curiously. "Of course."

"Well, you said you're not from this world, right?" She took a few swigs from her mug, giving Lucy time to apprehensively reply 'right'. Cana continued, "So now I'm curious as to who this old man of yours is. If you've lived your whole life on a different planet, then how are you sure this guy is really even your dad?"

Lucy chewed on her lip as she thought about the brunette's questions. "Well..." She began hesitantly. "Bora had a picture of my mom. He said that he got it from my father, so it must be true...But Honestly, you know almost as much about him as I do. He wasn't someone that Mom ever talked about. It always made her sad when I asked about him, so I never brought him up..." Her eyebrows scrunched together as she tried to recall any facts her mother had given her about him in the past. "I know that he was a businessman of some sort...And I know his name. Jude. His name is Jude Heartfilia."

OoOoOoO

Multiple things happened at once when Lucy said her father's name. Cana hilariously choked on her drink, spewing liquid all over Gray. Natsu would have cackled at the sight if he hadn't heard everyone else in the room gasp at the same time and turn their shocked expressions towards Lucy.

Natsu eyed everyone suspiciously. What was the big deal? His eyes met Lucy's questioning brown orbs. She looked just as confused as he was. He shrugged his shoulders at her, silently letting her know that she wasn't the only one that was lost, then he looked around at his guildmate's faces again.

" _Heartfilia?!_ " Cana asked incredulously.

Huh, so that's Lucy's last name? _Heartfilia,_ Natsu tested the name out in his head. _Sounds kinda girly. That suits her._

Erza was the next one to break away from her shock. "So that means you're _Lucy Heartfilia?_ " She questioned with shock evident in her tone.

Hmm...Why did that name sound so familiar? Natsu scratched his head as he tried to remember.

Lucy's eyes widened even further. "Y-yes." She stuttered. "That's me."

"Holy crap! You're the missing daughter of the Heartfilia estate! _Businessman?!_ That's one helluva understatement, your dad's freaking loaded!" Cana exclaimed.

"Hold on a second, what?" Lucy held her hands up nervously. "What estate? How do you guys know who my dad is?"

"How do you _not_ know who your dad is?!" Cana replied.

"Lucy, your father is one of the most powerful entrepreneurs in Fiore." Erza explained in Cana's place, seeing as the brunette was still in shock. "That makes you the missing heiress to the Heartfilia Estate."

"Missing heiress?" Lucy echoed, her voice sounding small and soft.

Natsu's sharp eyes glued to her face. He watched as her skin paled, and she began to fidget with her fingers. He knew that she only did that when she was nervous, and something about his guildmates making her feel uncomfortable ticked him off. A vein throbbed in his head as Cana began talking loudly again.

"Yes, missing heiress!" Her hands flew in the air, splashing Gray with more alcohol from her mug. "Oh man, it was such a scandal. I can't believe you don't know anything about this."

"W-what do you mean, scandal?" Lucy was nearly whispering now.

Natsu felt his jaw clench; the lower Lucy's voice shrunk, the more irrationally annoyed he seemed to grow.

"Oh, where do I start? You know how I said your dad's loaded? Well, rumor has it that he gained his wealth by trading illegal magical items on the black market." Cana leaned forward and lowered her voice as if she was sharing gossip with someone.

Erza then decided to chime in again. "Supposedly he had some sort of underground business partnership with dark guilds, and other nefarious groups. However, no one was ever able to prove anything so he was never stopped or prosecuted. If the rumors were true, then he definitely knew how to cover his tracks well."

"Yeah, and not only that, but there were rumors involving what happened with the disappearance of his wife and daughter years ago." Cana added, looking pointedly at Lucy. "Supposedly his wife was caught in some sort of love affair and Jude Heartfilia tried to force her out of the estate. Apparently she got angry about potentially losing all of their money and went a little crazy. Jude told reporters that she kidnapped their daughter and ran off. He tried searching for them for ages; er-well, he _hired_ people to search for him, that is." Cana scratched her forehead. "I guess now we know that the daughter and the wife were actually you and your mom! Man, there used to always be insane stories going around about the Heartfilia's. I guess after your dad wasn't able to find you, things died down. I haven't heard anything about them in years."

Juvia turned towards Lucy with a look of confusion. "Juvia doesn't understand. Was Lucy ever in danger? Being raised by someone that had gone crazy like Cana said."

"Don't take her literally, Juvia." Erza said quickly, sending a warning glare in Cana's direction. "Those were just rumors. There's no telling what actually happened."

"Yeah, there's no telling. Too bad you were probably too young to remember, Lucy! I bet that's some sweet gossip." Cana grinned jockingly, completely unaware of the dark cloud that seemed to hang over Lucy's head.

"That aside," Erza began in an attempt to move on. "This is rather surprising. I never would have guessed that you would turn out to be Lucy Heartfilia. Despite what the rumors may say, you come from a very prestigious family."

Prestigious? Natsu scoffed as he tried to imagine that particular word pertaining to Lucy in any way. _Yeah right_.

"So does this mean that Lucy will return to her Father's estate now that she knows of him?" Juvia asked curiously.

Gray finally spoke up. "Are you serious?" He incredulously began, but unfortunately Natsu had already heard enough. "There's no way she would-"

Before Gray could even finish his sentence, a flaming ball of fire was hurled towards him, heading directly for his face. He dodged out of the way in the nick of time, managing to only singe a few hairs rather than take the inferno head on. Furious now, he whirled around to face fire mage.

"Natsu, what the hell was that for?!" He roared.

Natsu just crossed his arms and glared at the ice make wizard. "'Cause you're givin' me a headache, ice princess!" He could feel a vein throb and his eyebrow twitched as he yelled. "Why don't ya just shut up about it? Nothin's changed! Lucy is still _just Lucy_ , not some fancy, rich kid. And she sure as hell ain't goin' back to some jerk that would hire dark guilds to do his dirty work!"

Gray's arms flew up into the air. "Are you serious?! Then why'd you throw fire at me?! I wasn't even the one talking about it, flame brain!"

Natsu stuck his nose up in the air. "Well I couldn't throw it at Erza, now could I? I'm not stupid, ya know." He glanced at Gray from the corner of his eyes and his nose wrinkled in disgust. "Plus, your face just annoys me."

"That's it! You're going down, pyro!" Gray's fist clapped against his other open palm and he took on a stance that Natsu knew well. The dragon slayer prepared himself for an attack when suddenly another voice rang out, effectively stopping them both in their tracks.

"Gray! Natsu!" Erza stood above them, eyes glowing menacingly.

The boys jumped together, hands clasped tightly around one another. "Yes, ma'am!" They squeaked in unison.

The moment Erza turned away, Natsu and Gray shoved apart as quickly and roughly as they could.

 _Ugh, gross. I can't believe I was hugged up against the stripper like that!_ Natsu shuddered at the thought and stuck out his tongue in distaste. When Lucy's small chuckles reached his ears, he remembered what he had been angry about in the first place and he swirled around to face her. _Oh, right. Lucy._

But when Natsu turned to meet her eyes, he was surprised to find that she wasn't upset anymore. She was smiling tenderly at him for some unknown reason. Did he do something to cheer her up? What exactly had he said again? Unfortunately, he found that he couldn't remember so instead of replying, he just grinned widely at her, returning her smile before Juvia piped up hesitantly.

"U-um...Juvia just remembered something." All eyes turned to the bluenette. "Tartaros was tracking Lucy's celestial magic power, but they didn't really know that it was Lucy they were after, right?"

Natsu nodded his confirmation and she continued. "Well, Juvia thinks that might mean that they're tracking _all_ celestial magic power, not just Lucy's..." Her voice trailed off quietly as she waited for what she was saying to sink in.

It only took a moment before Gray swore loudly and Erza gasped in horror. Even Happy's jaw dropped open. The only two that didn't seem to comprehend what Juvia's words meant were Lucy and Natsu; this appeared to be a recurring similarity between the pinkette and the blonde.

"Then that means..." Gray murmured.

"Yukino!" Erza finished for him.

Gray swore again and finally Natsu understood what Juvia meant. If these people at Tartaros were tracking down wizards with celestial power then that would mean...their friends at Sabertooth could be in danger! White, hot anger began to course through Natsu's veins. Sting, Rogue, Yukino...those creeps from the lighthouse could be going after them next!

Erza, always the strategist, began making plans right away. "We'll send our strongest team at once. We must warn our friends!" She turned towards Natsu's partner. "Happy! Will you go find Charle and Wendy? Fill them in and tell them to get ready to leave immediately!"

"Aye, sir!" The blue feline flew out of the room at top speed. Cana followed him out, saying that she was going to help Levy and Freed 'hurry up with that magic enchantment'.

Erza turned back to the few others remaining in the room. "Gray, Juvia, Natsu, I need you all to get ready as well."

Natsu stiffened the moment she uttered his name; he felt as though a bucket of cold water had been splashed on him, dousing his burning rage. He couldn't go on a mission right now! Who would be left to protect...

Erza continued speaking, not appearing to notice the sudden change in Natsu's attitude. "We leave as soon as you're all ready for travel. Now, I must go find Master and tell him everything." She turned to leave, but was stopped by the dragon slayer's next words.

"Er, well..." Natsu shifted uncomfortably. "About that..."

Erza's gaze pierced through him. "We must hurry, Natsu. What is it?"

"Well, thing is..." Natsu reached up to tug on his scarf subconsciously. Ugh, why did he suddenly feel so uncomfortable? Maybe he was getting sick or something...But that couldn't be right, Natsu _never_ got sick.

"Spit it out, fire freak, we don't got all night!" Gray tsked.

He glared at the dark haired male, but decided against arguing and forced his next words out in a rush. "Idon'tthinkIshouldgobecausesomeoneshouldstaytoprotectLuce."

Everyone in the room blinked at him simultaneously. "Uh, what was that?" Erza questioned.

Natsu sighed. He grumpily folded his arms and repeated himself, making sure to enunciate each word carefully this time. "I said I don't think I should go."

Gray blanched and would have fallen to the ground in shock if it weren't for Juvia throwing her arms around his waist to catch him. _Great_ , Natsu thought bitterly. He knew he wasn't going to hear the end of this...He had never wanted to stand down from a mission before; and truthfully, he _didn't_ want to miss out on the action. But he shuttered to think about the possibility of something terrible happening again while he was away. He begrudgingly continued. "If those guys come back for Lucy again, then someone has to be here to protect her. I think I should stay..."

Erza blinked a couple more times before a small smile spread across her lips. "You're right, Natsu. You should definitely be there to protect Lucy." She agreed warmly. "That's why you're both coming."

"What?!" Natsu and Lucy yelled in unison.

Erza raised a brow at them before continuing. "Well, where else do you think Lucy would be most safe if not with all of us?"

Natsu and Lucy exchanged a wide eyed look, both of their jaws humorously hanging open in shock. The dragon slayer, however, recovered first. A wild grin broke out on his face and he jumped to his feet. That's brilliant! Why didn't he think of that?! If Lucy came with them, then he could make sure she was safe _and_ he might even get to fight one of those Tartaros assholes!

"Alright! Let's go, I'm fired up!" He exclaimed with a flaming fist raised in the air.

"That is, of course, if that arrangement is okay with you, Lucy." Erza grinned at the blonde, and Natsu's eyes glued to her face once more.

Lucy didn't need long to contemplate. Her fingers twiddled together for a moment before her brow scrunched up and a look of determination filled her features. "I'm in! Let's go make sure your friends are safe." She smiled at each individual in the room, saving Natsu for last. Her eyes lingered on his for a second before she brightly added, "Besides, if there's another celestial wizard at this place we're headed to, then maybe they can teach me a thing or two!"

Natsu grinned at his new friend. He may be dense sometimes, but he could at least appreciate how brave she was being. This girl had been thrown into a whole new world, without a single clue about magic or wizardry or _anything_. Not only that, but she had also been kidnapped, _and_ nearly killed in the process. Yet here she was, determined as ever to face everything head on. Natsu had been wrong about her. She wasn't the timid, scared girl that he originally thought she was when he first found her. She was strong and he admired that.

"Perfect! Now that that's settled, we must be on our way. I'll go inform Master immediately. Meet back at the guildhall as soon as you're packed!"

Erza then turned and ran out of the room, quickly followed by Gray and Juvia.

Natsu held out a hand expectantly towards Lucy. "Whatcha waitin' for?" He grinned. "Come on, let's go!"

She jumped out of the bed and took his hand without a second thought. "Looks like we're going on an adventure together already, huh?" She smiled slyly up at him. "All thanks to a certain pyro that saved my life."

It took Natsu a moment before he realized that she was referring to him. He laughed as his thumb softly grazed along the burn mark on her wrist and he recalled her words from before; _Look at it and feel proud, because this scar is a sign that I'm alive. And because of that, we get to have more adventures together_.

With one last wide grin, he tugged on her hand, pulling her closer to the doorway. "We can talk about how great I am for that later!" He replied cheekily. "Erza will kill us if we don't move fast!"

Lucy happily complied, and together they ran out of the room, ready to embark on their first journey of many together.

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 **Finally, Team Natsu is born!:D I can't wait to publish the next chapter already! I'm so excited for their trip! And we get to meet Sabertooth, at long last! Hehe, and much much more. =^.^=  
**

 **So what do you think about Lucy's rumored background? Is it true? False? Any thoughts on Tartaros? Or any thoughts on this chapter at all? I'd love to hear them! I'm all ears!:D**

 **SunFlowerChrysalis : Moc, thank you! T^T Your words fill me with joy! I wasn't able to fit any fairy tail allusions into the past couple of chapters, so I was really excited to come up with the reverse Rapunzel in the last chapter! I'm glad you liked it! And thank you soo much. I felt like something as simple as holding hands would be powerful to both Lucy and Natsu, so I tried really hard to make it seem that way! Ahhh, you're just so nice! T^T Everything that you say just makes me smile!:D Thank you, thank you, thank you! ~sending virtual hugs~**

 **arcadea333 : Ahhh, I know! When I was writing that part I was also imagining Natsu with pink cat ears curled up at the end of the bed. Haha, he's too cute! And It makes me so happy that you thought the part with Erza was funny!XD Hahaha, I think she's one of the most hilarious characters! Thank you so much for your review, as always it made me super happy!:D**

 **devnick16 : Oh my goodness, thank you so much! I try really hard to make sure they all stay in character, so I really appreciate the compliment! And thank you for reading!:D You rock!**

 **SulliMike23 : Man, you're tellin' me! T^T I already have a headache just thinking about all of the things Fairy Tail will have to go through to protect Lucy! They can't even begin imagine what they're in for! It's gonna be a long, crazy ride. But don't worry, it'll be a fun one as well!:D Thank you so much for reading!**

 **Thank you guys so much! I'm really looking forward to what's coming up. Let me know what you think!:D**

 **Have a wonderful night!**

 **xoxo**


	19. Canis Minor

**Voila! Chapter 19!:D I have a lot to say about this chapter, but I can't say it until the very end! So enjoy, and we'll talk again soon! Thank you so much for reading!**

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Natsu and Lucy found themselves running through the woods, stumbling along the dark path towards the dragon slayer's house. Lucy's gaze kept flickering down to her wrist, which was now adorned with a small bracelet, and a thankful smile spread across her features. She fondly recalled the events that had just happened prior to leaving the guildhall.

 _The duo had bolted down the stairs and were almost out the door before Levy called out to them, stopping them on a dime. "Lu! Natsu!"_

 _The pair spun around to find Makarov and Levy hurrying towards them._

" _What's up, Gramps? We're kinda in a hurry." Natsu asked impatiently._

 _Makarov ignored Natsu in favor of turning his attention to Lucy. "Yes, I know. Erza informed me of everything." His gaze darkened. "This journey could be dangerous, Lucy. I want you to know that you_ can _stay here. We could keep you safe at the guild while the others are gone."_

 _Lucy smiled appreciatively but turned Master's offer down without hesitation. "Thank you for your concern, Master. But don't worry, I know I'll be safe with Natsu." She glanced back at the pink haired male and had to suppress a chuckle brought on by how proud he looked. She turned her gaze back to Makarov and grinned. "Plus, how can I prove I'm Fairy Tail material without a little field training?"_

 _Master's eyes crinkled as a small smile lit his face. "Very well. So long as you're absolutely sure."_

" _I am." Lucy replied with confidence and her eyes steadily held his._

" _You'll be fine, Lu!" Levy piped up. "Sure, Natsu's strong, but you haven't even seen Erza in battle yet! She's downright terrifying." The bluenette took Lucy's hand and slipped something onto her wrist. "Also, you'll have this!" She added happily._

 _Lucy looked down to see a small, black leather wrist cuff clasped onto her arm; she wondered absentmindedly if Levy purposefully meant to cover up her burn scar or if the bluenette genuinely didn't realize doing so. Hanging from the cuff was a small, circular blue orb. It glistened in the moonlight as Lucy stared at it in wonder. Natsu stared down at it as well but, for some reason Lucy couldn't comprehend, he looked unhappy._

" _It's a magically charged lacrima." Levy began before Lucy could ask Natsu what was wrong. "Freed put an enchantment on it that will conceal your celestial magic. As long as you're wearing it, others won't be able to sense your power at all!" Levy informed her proudly. "I figured this was easier than having Freed put an entire enchantment around the guild!"_

 _Lucy was blown away. Even though it's purposes went far beyond just being a cute accessory, she found the bracelet to be very beautiful, and she was touched that Levy had given it to her temporarily._

" _Thank you so much, Levy!" The blonde smiled fondly at her friend. "I'll take good care of it!"_

" _Don't mention it, Lu!" Levy grinned, then shoved Lucy and Natsu out the doorway. "You two better hurry! If you're not packed and ready before Erza, there'll be hell to pay!"_

" _Be careful, children!" Master called after them as they ran into the night._

The memory came to an end, and a wave of gratitude washed over Lucy. Natsu's reaction had been a little weird, but other than that she couldn't contain how appreciative she felt for all of her new friends. They were risking so much for her, someone that they only barely knew, and they were doing it all with a smile. Lucy idly wondered if that was what it was like to be a member of Fairy Tail. _I could get used to this,_ she thought to herself with a grin.

Natsu broke Lucy from her reverie, bringing her back to the present. "Looks like Happy already beat us here!" He observed as they neared his home. The front door was ajar and they could hear movements coming from inside.

The pair sped through the open doorway and found the exceed flying around the room, pulling fish out of random little hiding spots and stuffing them into his green bag.

"Hey, Happy!" Natsu greeted. "Thought you were gettin' Wendy and Charle?"

"Aye! I told them everything and they're getting ready now! But I remembered that I needed to pack some food too." He turned to face them with a fish clutched tightly in his paws. "So they said they'd meet us back at the guild!"

Happy went back to searching every nook and cranny of the house for hidden fish, while Natsu simply grabbed a couple of things and threw them into his already packed bag. He noticed Lucy staring at the pack and he shrugged his shoulders.

"Happy and I are usually always out on jobs, so I just don't unpack anymore." He clasped a sleeping bag securely onto the top of the backpack. "Now that I think about it, this is actually the longest we've gone without going on a job for a while!" He scratched his head in thought.

"Really?" Lucy questioned. "So you don't ever take breaks from jobs? Doesn't that get exhausting?" She inquired curiously.

"Nah," He grinned. "I don't get exhausted." Lucy was about to say 'yeah, right', but he continued speaking. "Besides, we do take breaks. We usually come back here to eat and sleep, then we head out again."

"You call that a break?" Lucy teased with a raised brow.

He went on as if she hadn't said anything. "Happy and I are searchin' for someone. I figure that the best way to find 'em is by actually goin' out and lookin' around. So if I'm always out on jobs, I can do that at the same time. Two birds with one stone."

Lucy tilted her head to the side. "Who are you looking for?" She asked openly. A blush spread across her cheeks when she realized how personal that question might be. She shook her hands out in front of her and stuttered. "I-if you don't mind my asking! I don't mean to pry or anything..."

Natsu's brows scrunched together in confusion at her sudden flustered appearance. "You can ask me anything, Lucy. I wouldn't'a brought it up if I didn't mind you askin'."

Happy started to snicker, but Natsu spoke again before the cat could make any snide comments. "To answer your question, I guess you could say that you're not the only one with daddy issues." He grinned at Lucy, but for once the smile didn't quite reach his eyes.

Lucy's eyes widened at Natsu's revelation, but she didn't have the chance to question further.

Having already finished packing his bag, the fire mage jumped to his feet and ran towards Lucy with bright, excited eyes.

"Alright, Luce! Let's see it!" He exclaimed while bouncing on his feet.

She nearly fell backwards in surprise when he was suddenly right in front of her. "See what?" She asked, thoroughly thrown off by his out-of-the-blue request. A part of her was nervous to find out what 'it' could be.

Natsu rolled his eyes. He scoffed as if she should already know the answer. "The key, ya weirdo! You haven't had a chance to try it out. I wanna see!" He grinned eagerly down at her.

Lucy gasped and her hand shot up to the chain around her neck that held her two keys. With everything that had been going on, she'd shamefully forgotten their existence and was immensely grateful to find them both still hanging there safely.

A surge of adrenaline began to race through Lucy, and she began to feel just as giddy as Natsu when she thought about using her key for the first time. Every cell in her body burned with curiosity and begged her to tap into her magic power, but a voice in the back of her head planted a seed of doubt.

"W-wait. Shouldn't we be getting back to the guild now that you're all packed?" She questioned. "I thought we were leaving."

Natsu laughed and said, "Trust me, you haven't seen the way Erza packs. We have at least another fifteen minutes before she's even close to being done."

"O-okay." She agreed timidly after finding no other excuses. Apprehension began to cloud her mind, chasing away her previous excitement. What if she messed up? What if Porlyusica was wrong about her being a celestial mage and Natsu had wasted his time finding her this key? The thought of embarrassing herself like that in front of the dragon slayer filled her with mortification.

But she _had_ to be a celestial wizard. After all, those people from Tartaros had tracked her down because of her celestial magic power, right? _Don't be a chicken,_ she inwardly scolded herself. _You decided to become a strong wizard, Like Natsu. This is the first step._ With a deep breath, she pulled the necklace from around her neck.

Natsu waited patiently as she nervously tried to unclasp the chain. His sharp eyes watched as her hands shook and she struggled with the clasp. It took her several moments before she finally had the hook undone and she was able to slip off the small silver key.

The key immediately warmed in her palm and sent reassuring tingles down her arm. That was when she realized she had no idea what she was doing. _Oh no,_ Lucy thought in horror. _I don't know what to do!_ She had meant to borrow that book from Levy so she could learn how to use her new key, but without it, she felt lost.

She looked up at Natsu to apologize and tell him that she didn't know how to use the key yet; but when she opened her mouth, different words poured out rather than the ones she had intended to say. It was as if her body knew on instinct exactly what needed to be done, and she lifted the key without hesitation.

"Open, Gate of the Canis Minor! Nikora!"

There was a flash of light, and suddenly Lucy was no longer in Natsu's house. She wasn't even in the same _clothes_. She blanched as she looked down at the revealing outfit; it was a sleeveless blue and gold halter top, with a short blue skirt, and matching thigh-high stockings. Suddenly, she felt very exposed and wished for her jeans and cardigan back. How was she even wearing new clothes in the first place?! _What is going on now?_

She looked around and gasped in wonder as she took in her new surroundings. She was sitting on a strange luminescent stone path; each brick seemed to glow a different hue of the rainbow. Stranger yet was the fact that the stone path seemed to effortlessly float in space, and bright, luminous stars surrounded her in every direction. Planets of different colors, shapes, and sizes floated amongst the stars, and bubbles of light seemed to glide through the air all around her. This place, whatever it was, was absolutely magical.

Lucy wanted to feel scared; after all, she had no idea where she was, _again_. Why did this keep happening to her? Plus, she was wearing strange, skimpy clothes...However, contrary to what she _wanted_ to feel, she had actually never been so calm before in her entire life. Something about this mystical place made her feel _safe._ She was looking around in awe when a deep voice called out to her.

"Lucy Heartfilia." It greeted her in a regal tone and she realized with a start that she had heard this voice before in a dream; the same dream she'd had before she had woken up to find herself transported to Earthland. "You have been very brave, child."

Lucy felt happiness and pride swell inside her at the praise she received from the invisible stranger. Her head whipped around in every direction, yearning to find the person that the voice belonged to. When she found no one, she realized that the voice was speaking directly into her mind.

"Your journey is only just beginning. Soon, all answers will be revealed. Until then, stay strong, old friend."

And just like that, the vision was gone. In the blink of an eye, Lucy found herself back in the exact same spot in Natsu's room as before, with her arm still extended out in front of her holding the silver key. A cloud of smoke was quickly disappearing, revealing a small, white creature in its wake. Lucy blinked down at the small figure in front of her, temporarily forgetting the bizarre vision she had just had.

The creature was shaking from top to bottom and had a pointy orange nose resembling a carrot. That, combined with it's white color, gave it an overall appearance of a short, little snowman.

The strange little creature held it's arms out towards Lucy in a gesture of greeting, and a somewhat smile spread across it's lips. "Pun puuun!"

Lucy's heart began to swell, and tears swarmed her vision.

"Pfft!"

Natsu slapped a hand over Happy's mouth before the cat could start laughing hysterically, and the dragon slayer himself even had to fake a cough to cover up a laugh.

"Er-well...uhh." Natsu began hesitantly after almost choking. "It was your first try. Maybe you'll get it right next time!" He tried his best to sound encouraging.

Lucy's shoulders started to shake. This must have filled Natsu with alarm since he couldn't see her face, and he reached a hand out to awkwardly pat the blonde's shoulder.

"H-hey, it's okay. Don't feel bad. You can try again later."

Lucy couldn't contain her emotions any longer and she let out a loud, joyful squeal of excitement. The sudden outburst startled Natsu and Happy so much that they yelped along in surprise with Lucy.

She scooped the little spirit up into her arms and wrapped it in a tight embrace. "Ahh! He's _so cute!"_ She squeezed the spirit and relished in how absolutely _wonderful_ she was feeling. Her body seemed light as a feather, and she felt as though she was wide awake for the first time in her entire life.

Natsu and Happy gaped open-mouthed at Lucy as she held out the weird little snowman creature in her arms and smiled brightly at it. "I'm gonna call you Plue! How does that sound? Is that okay with you?"

"Pun!" Plue happily replied.

"Uhh, Natsu...What's going on?" Happy whispered to the dragon slayer.

"I have no idea..." He responded quietly.

Lucy whirled around to face Natsu and Happy, causing the duo to jump together in surprise.

"Natsu!" She flew over and flung her arms around them, crushing them in a powerful hug with Plue trapped somewhere in the middle. "Thank you! Thank you both so much for getting me this key!"

Just as quickly as she had embraced them, she had let them go, leaving Natsu slightly flushed and even more confused.

She twirled in circles with Plue in her arms and giggled happily.

"This feels _amazing!_ I can't even begin to describe it... I feel like my body is tingling from head to toe. Is this what magic feels like?" She turned a radiant smile back Natsu's way and he choked a bit when he saw it.

"'Dunno." He said gruffly. "I've always had magic. It must just feel natural to me, I don't really notice it."

Lucy hugged Plue against her chest again before saying, "It's hard to explain...But it's like I just discovered this new sixth sense that I've never had before. I feel it coursing through my veins, filling me with energy, and warmth, and...bliss." Her gaze met Natsu's once more. "I can't believe I was missing out on this my entire life. This is so amazing, Natsu."

He watched in amusement as she bounced around radiantly. She was smiling so widely that she seemed to actually _glow._ Natsu observed silently as she cooed over Plue and happily danced around his room. He quietly thought to himself that this was how she should always look, and he'd be damned if someone took that happiness away. He took in the heartwarming sight for another moment before he finally noticed that something was off. His eyes narrowed and his head tilted to the side.

Lucy was on cloud nine, completely unaware of the inquisitive stare coming from the dragon slayer. Thankfully, Plue appeared to be just as content as she was as they swirled around together. It was only when Lucy heard Natsu call out to her that she realized she was forgetting something really important.

"Hey, Luce. Where'd you get those clothes?"

Lucy looked down to find the same mysterious clothes she had been wearing in her vision. "Eep!" She squealed when she remembered how revealing they were. She was so startled that she tripped mid-spin, and her and Plue were sent crashing to the ground.

This time Natsu wasn't quick enough to cover up Happy's hysterical cackles, nor was he quick enough to hide his own. The two burst out laughing as Lucy blushed furiously from the floor.

She wanted to erase that little plunder from their memories, but now wasn't the time to be embarrased! She was wearing the same clothes from her 'vision' which meant that whatever it was that had happened in her head was actually _real!_ She scrambled to her feet, scooping Plue along in her arms, and raced over to the dragon slayer.

"Natsu, I don't know exactly what it was, but something happened when I opened Plue's gate." She spoke in a rush. "Whatever's going on here is bigger than we imagined. With the World Key, with Tartaros, maybe even with my Father and Mom!"

She began describing to him, in detail, about the dream she'd had before coming to Earthland. He payed attention with surprising patience, which Lucy greatly appreciated.

She was reaching the end of retelling her first dream when Natsu spoke up.

"-And then everything turned pink and all these voices filled my head. I woke up at exactly midnight, reached over and grabbed the world key, and then I was suddenly here!" She was about to start recounting her newest vision to him when-

"Everything turned pink? Sounds like a pretty girly dream, Luce."

" _That's_ what you picked up on?!" She slapped her forehead. "And look who's talking, Pinky. Now don't interrupt!"

After that, she recounted everything that had happened in her most recent vision and Natsu listened intently, keeping his word to not interrupt until the very end.

"So whoever's controlling these visions, or whatever, is probably the one responsible for bringin' you here?" He asked while scratching his head.

"That's what it seems like to me..."

Natsu grinned brightly. "Well then, we just have to find 'em! Sounds easy enough!"

Lucy returned Natsu's smile warmly. She didn't know why, but she was positive that he would make it happen. Somehow, she just knew that Natsu wouldn't let her down. He didn't seem like the type of person that would ever give up on something once he set his mind to it. He was so eager to help her, and she felt the urge to help him in return. Suddenly, an idea popped into her head and she immediately blurted it out without thinking.

"Hey Natsu? Once this stuff with Tartaros is all over, what do you think about me helping you find the person you're looking for?" His eyes widened and she hurried to continue before she lost her nerve. "I-I mean, I could come with you, ya know...when you go out on jobs, and when you go searching for them." He continued to silently stare at her with wide eyes.

 _Oh no, he's not saying anything_ , she thought with dread. She was starting to wish she hadn't brought it up at all, but she pushed on, telling herself to be courageous. "I kn-know I'm not very useful right now, but I want to get stronger. I just thought maybe I could help you somehow. Especially after all you're doing for me." She looked down to her hands and started fiddling with her fingers. "I understand if you say no, aha, that was actually kind of forward of me to ask. Maybe you always go with just Happy for a reason, who I am to really know? God, I need to stop shouting out every thought that goes through my head, I mean, who knows if I'll even still be here by then and-"

Lucy's monologue was cut short by Natsu letting out a small laugh. Was her mind playing tricks on her or did he sound relieved? Her head flew up and she saw that he was grinning widely at her now, showing off his sharp canines. "Sounds great, Luce!"

 _What?_ Her mouth popped open in surprise and she felt a flush creep up her cheeks. Did Natsu just say yes? Maybe she hadn't heard him right...

Happy started to snicker again, but Natsu ignored him and stood up, pulling Lucy to her feet along with him. "We should probably get going now. I'm sure Erza will be done packing any minute."

Lucy knew that she was probably bright red and it took all of her willpower to not cover her flaming cheeks. "Y-yes. L-let's go!" She attempted to sound pumped up and excited to go on their first trip. She _really_ was looking forward to it, but she knew that her stammering probably made her sound nervous. She tried to calm her racing heart by telling herself to focus. It's time to get serious!

Natsu and Happy pulled on their backpacks and headed for the front door. Lucy picked up Plue -she decided to keep him out rather than send him back through his gate- and joined them at the doorway. Before leaving, Natsu looked Lucy up and down a couple of times, making her feel more exposed than she already was.

Finally, his eyes met hers and he grinned mischievously. "I like the new look. Those clothes suit ya."

Lucy's face burned even more and she sputtered helplessly.

Natsu then looked down towards Lucy's hands and his brow furrowed unhappily again. "Except this." He said gruffly as he grabbed her arm and unclasped the lacrima bracelet.

"H-hey, wait! That's-"

Before Lucy could panic too much about the cuff no longer being on her, Natsu swiftly clasped it around her other hand, leaving her scar fully exposed on her right wrist.

Her eyes scrunched together in confusion, and she looked up at Natsu questioningly.

In response he reached out and softly touched the shiny, now-visible scar on her wrist. "You said to think of it as a sign of you being alive." He shrugged his shoulders as his hand fell back to his side and he grinned. "If that's the case, then I'd rather not see it covered up."

With that, he turned and walked out of the house to head towards the guild, leaving Lucy standing in his doorway blushing so furiously that she could have sworn steam was raising from her face. _Pull yourself together, Heartfilia,_ she growled to herself. She slapped her cheeks a couple of times to clear her head and ran out after them.

* * *

 **Ahhh! Yay for NaLu ^_^ AND LUCY USED HER FIRST CELESTIAL KEY!**

 **So, this chapter was originally supposed to be about Lucy using her key for the first time in the first half and then the second half was supposed to be about their journey to Sabertooth! But I got so caught up and kept writing and writing and before I knew it this chapter was super long! So Sabertooth will be coming in to play next chapter! I'm sorry! T^T But hey, nothing's wrong with a little bit of NaLu fluff, right?;D**

 **Anyways, what do you guys think about Lucy's vision? Any idea where she is? Or who she's hearing? I feel like I gave away a pretty big clue! I'm sure a lot of you know who it is:)**

 **Any thoughts, comments, concerns? Send 'em my way!:D**

 **SulliMike23 : Ahh, I know! Tartaros is so dark, it's going to take a lot out of me to write them as twisted as they were in the actual FT! Hopefully I do them justice:p **

**SunFlowerChrysalis : Moc, thank you so much! I was excited to write last chapter because it had so many characters in it! I really want to involve more characters in the storyline, so I'm trying my best to integrate them in! I really like writing the Natsu and Gray moments, those two are so funny:p I'm glad you have faith in Layla! Everyone knows she's awesome:) The chapter is coming up soon where we find out why Layla left, I'm really excited to write it! Ahhh, you're the best! ^_^ Thank youuuu! I hope you're doing great right now:)  
**

 **arcadea333 : I know, I'm so excited to write about Sabertooth! Ahhh, they were going to be in this chapter, but it wound up being a lot longer than I thought! Next chapter, we'll definitely meet the cute little Froshe! You asked how long this story will be and to be honest, I'm not really sure! But i'm only just now beginning to scratch the surface of what I'm planning, so it'll probably be pretty long! I hope that's okay!:D VERY good guess about the reason behind Layla leaving Earthland!:D Hahaha, your review made me laugh out loud!XD Thank you so much!  
**

 **Nekokittygirl : Nyaaa! Thank you so much!:D I got so excited over new reviews, this update came out sooner than I expected! Thank you, thank you:3  
**

 **FireShifter : OH MY GOODNESS! Thank you for all the reviewssss! You're so awesome! That made me so happy to read all of them! I'm so gad that you're liking the story, it means the world to me that people look forward to the updates! I hope you enjoyed this somewhat fluffy chapter!:D  
**


	20. Sabertooth

**Guys, I am so sorry for the two week absence! I've had a looot of stuff going on, and I just haven't had the time to update:( I'm really, truly, very, extremely sorry!**

 **But thank you for your patience! I'M BACK! And we're on chapter 20! Holy cow! That's so crazy to me! Thank you all so much for your support, it really means the world to me. You guys make this all worthwhile:)**

 **Here, have a long chapter as my thanks to you!:)**

* * *

Natsu, Lucy and Happy made it back to the guild right before Erza walked in. The boys let out a sigh of relief while Lucy's eyes bulged at the sheer enormity of the redhead's luggage. She had never seen so many suitcases and bags piled onto one single kart like the one Erza was currently tugging along behind her.

"Um, how long are we planning on being gone?" Lucy hesitantly questioned.

Wendy giggled at the blonde's shocked reaction. "Oh, don't worry, Erza always packs like that, even if it's only for a day trip. She says she likes to be prepared for anything."

Gray cleared his throat. "Um, Erza..." He began reluctantly, as if he were afraid to continue speaking for fear of Erza's reaction. "Did you forget that we were taking one of the magic vehicles? Since it's faster than the train would be.."

Erza raised an intense eyebrow at the male, clearly not comprehending the point he was trying to get across. Gray paled slightly.

Juvia took it upon herself to finish for him. "Juvia thinks that my darling is trying to say that you will not be able to bring along all of the luggage you have packed. It surely won't fit in the vehicle that we'll be taking."

Erza's eyes widened. How could she have forgotten that? A dark, gloomy cloud blossomed and seemed to hang above her head as she stared longingly at her hoard of suitcases.

Lucy giggled quietly, finding Erza's reaction cute, until she looked to her side and saw the same depressing cloud hanging above Natsu's head.

"Natsu?!" She panicked. The pink haired male doesn't _ever_ get sad or depressed. "What's wrong? You didn't overpack, I'm sure your bag will fit just fine!" She attempted to reassure the dragon slayer, but he only solemnly shook his head. She began to panic even more. "Tell me what's wrong! Why are you sad all of a sudden?"

Happy interjected, saving Natsu from having to answer. "Natsu doesn't handle moving vehicles very well. They're his weakness."

Lucy watched Natsu's skin turn green at the mention of a moving vehicle and she couldn't help but giggle again.

" _That's_ what you're worried about?" She questioned between laughs. "Geez, don't scare me like that! I thought it was something important!"

Natsu blanched and halfheartedly whined. "Lushiii. You're evil!"

Once Erza had managed to sort out only the absolute essentials and stuff them into one single backpack, the group was finally ready to head out. Lucy sent Plue back through his gate after deciding that she didn't want to take up even more room in their already compact car.

She observed as Erza climbed into the front seat of the strange looking vehicle and Wendy explained to her that the car ran on magic power. The bracelet that Erza clasped around her wrist would draw out Erza's magic power and use it to fuel the vehicle; the faster they wanted to go, the more magic power it required, which is why Erza had been chosen to be the one to drive.

Fascinated by the new information, Lucy climbed into the vehicle with a smile on her face. She loved this world and all of its peculiarities.

The inside of the vehicle was similar to a train car, with two long rows of seats facing each other. Natsu (who was already a sickly shade of green), Wendy, and Lucy piled into the car on one side, while Gray, Juvia, and the exceeds sat on the opposite.

As soon as everyone was settled, Erza took off. The jolt of the vehicle resulted in a loud groan from Natsu and he fell against Lucy.

"Tch. So pathetic." Gray muttered under his breath. Juvia snuggled close, distracting him from the sight of Natsu. "Ack, what are you doing?!"

"Gray-sama, Juvia is so happy that we get to share a seat together during this journey!" The bluenette squealed with excitement. "Gray-sama can lean on Juvia too if you'd like!"

Gray sputtered. "Lucy, switch seats with me!" He pleaded, but Lucy wasn't fooled. She definitely caught the faint blush on Gray's cheeks.

She smiled slyly. Something told her that Gray didn't really mind Juvia's antics. He maybe even secretly enjoyed them, although he tried really hard to make it seem otherwise. "No way. You're staying where you are." She said with a smirk.

Just then, the car hit a bump in the road and Natsu groaned again, slumping even further down. His head fell into Lucy's lap and suddenly she was now the one sputtering like Gray.

"N-natsu!" She exclaimed with a blush. His response was a series of painful sounding moans. "So help me, Natsu, if you throw up on me I will throw you out of this car!"

"Ughhh."

Lucy's threat was only half-hearted as she began to feel increasingly bad for the dragon slayer by the second. When he had spoken about his motion sickness before, she never imagined that it could possibly be _this_ bad.

Wendy looked at him with a sad, guilty expression. "I feel terrible. If only I was stronger, then I might be able to still use troia on him."

"Hush, child. It's not your fault." Charle chastised.

Lucy looked confused, so Wendy explained that troia was a spell that she would occasionally use on Natsu before he would leave on jobs. It temporarily affected his sense of balance and helped with his motion sickness so he wouldn't have to be like this every time he rode transportation. However, after using it so many times, his body must have built up an immunity to the spell, making it ineffective on him.

Wendy felt as though this were her fault and that if she was stronger then the spell would still work on him.

Lucy was quick to agree with Charle on the matter. "Oh, Wendy, don't feel bad. I'm sure Natsu doesn't see it that way either." Lucy began to absentmindedly comb her fingers through Natsu's hair and silently marveled at how soft it was, despite it's spiky nature. "His body was bound to eventually build up an immunity to that spell after so long. Our bodies do that with loads of things all the time. You can't help it." She smiled warmly at the young girl.

Wendy gratefully returned a small smile, but Lucy could tell she still felt bad.

She opened her mouth to attempt to reassure Wendy further but was interrupted by soft snores coming from the direction of her lap. All eyes turned towards the now-sleeping dragon slayer with mixed expressions of shock and confusion.

"Wow." Wendy began. "I've never seen Natsu fall asleep so peacefully on moving transportation before."

"Yeah, usually he only sleeps if Erza knocks him out." Gray agreed.

"Looks like he won't even need troia anymore if Lucy just does that every time." Charle piped up, gesturing towards Lucy's fingers that were entangled in Natsu's hair. "Good thing too. You don't need to be using up your magic power on such trivial things, Wendy."

Lucy's cheeks burned as she lamely spat out the first thing that came to mind. "W-well, my mom used to play with my hair whenever I wasn't feeling well and it always seemed to help." She continued to comb softly through the pink strands, and glanced down at Natsu's tranquil face. "I guess it's helpful for him as well."

It was then that Happy decided to start poking fun at the blonde. The moment she heard him snickering across from her, the hairs on the back of her neck rose. As far as she was concerned, Happy's snickers were never a good sign...

The cat was laughing from behind his paws, staring directly at Lucy. He leaned over and mock whispered to Gray, never taking his eyes off of hers. "Ne Gray, don't you think Natsu and Lushi look good together?"

The moment the words left his mouth, many things happened at once. Lucy choked, which turned into a coughing fit and Wendy worriedly began to pat her on the back. Juvia's eyes seemed to glow at the sign of opportunity, Charle merely tsked, and Gray just lazily rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, right. As if that flame brain could ever look good with anyone." Gray scoffed. "No offense, Lucy."

"Oh, Juvia thinks they look lovely together!" The bluenette exclaimed excitedly. "Love rival would look good with anyone as long as it isn't Juvia's precious Gray-sama!"

"What's this love rival stuff?" Gray muttered halfheartedly while Lucy sweat dropped.

Happy, who apparently wasn't done humiliating Lucy, continued speaking in that same loud-whisper. "And that's not all. Lushi asked if she could come with Natsu and me to help find Igneel, after we get back from Sabertooth."

This seemed to grab everyone's attention; even Charle looked interested in the conversation after hearing that.

Mortified, Lucy tried to deny Happy's words but he continued before she could say anything. "And get this," he paused for dramatic effect. "Natsu actually said _yes_."

Gray's jaw went slack and he openly gaped at Lucy.

She knew that she must have been beat red from head to toe, and she silently cursed Happy in a million different ways. "That is absolutely not how it hap-well...it's not like-um...w-well..." Lucy stuttered hopelessly as she looked around at all of the curious faces staring back at her. Unsure of exactly what she could say, she decided the best tactic would be to change the subject away from her altogether.

She laughed a little too forcefully before saying "Uhm, so Igneel, huh? That's the name of the person Natsu is searching for?"

It was Charle's turn to scoff. "Person? Don't you mean dragon?"

Lucy laughed. "Excuse me, what? I think I misheard you."

Charle's sharp eyes were glued to Lucy's. "I'm sure you heard me right. I said dragon."

Lucy choked again from shock.

"Yeah, Natsu's dad, Igneel." Happy added to clarify. "He's not a person, he's a dragon. A fire dragon! That's how Natsu knows dragon slaying magic."

"Let me make sure I understand..." Lucy began once she had composed herself. "Natsu's dad...is a dragon?"

"Technically he's not his real dad. Not biological anyway." Gray informed. "But he raised him. Natsu had been with Igneel for as long as he could remember."

"So you're saying that Natsu was raised by a dragon...An _actual_ dragon? Like, with wings and horns and stuff?"

Gray snorted at Lucy's 'intellectual way with words'. "Yeah, seems that way."

Lucy let that sink in as she gazed down at the dragon slayer in question. It appeared that she still had much to learn about Earthland and all of it's inhabitants; including Natsu. A small smile spread across her lips at the thought.

"Well, I guess that shouldn't surprise me." She began with a grin. "Only someone like Natsu would have such an extraordinary upbringing."

"Not just Natsu." Charle said. "Wendy here was raised by one as well."

"And Gajeel!" Happy chimed in.

Lucy blanched. "WHAT?"

Her wide eyes turned towards the small, blue-haired girl beside her. Wendy, sweet, little Wendy, was raised by a _dragon?_ Natsu and Gajeel she could understand! _But Wendy?!_

"And two of the members of Sabertooth that we're going to meet, Sting and Rogue." Gray added.

Lucy peeled her eyes away from Wendy to look instead at Gray. "Is it that common to be raised by dragons in this world?"

"As far as we know, those are the only five." Charle answered.

Lucy's mind was spinning with all of this new information and hundreds of new questions. "So, is Natsu's dad the only one missing?"

Charle sighed. "Actually, no." She glanced sadly at Wendy before continuing. "All of the dragons mysteriously disappeared on the same day. No one has seen them since then."

Lucy turned her attention back to Wendy. "I'm so sorry. That must have been hard on you. I didn't mean to bring this up, I had no idea." Lucy's eyes watered as she thought about how scared Wendy must have been to wake up one day and not find her mother anywhere. Lucy could empathize with the young girl on how painful that surely was. She knew exactly what it was like since it had just recently happened to her.

To Lucy's surprise, Wendy smiled. "No, it's okay. After all, I had Charle." She flashed a huge grin towards the white cat. "And thankfully, I eventually made my way to Fairy Tail. Gajeel, Natsu, and I all found ourselves there, one way or another. It wasn't so bad after that."

 _Huh, just like how I found myself there as well,_ Lucy silently pondered to herself.

Wendy continued. "We're a family, despite how it may look on the outside. We take care of each other. Fairy Tail took me in with open arms right from the very beginning, and they've accepted me and taken care of me ever since." The smile faded from Wendy's lips before she finished softly. "Unfortunately, Sting and Rogue had to fight a little harder to find a family once their dragons disappeared."

"So it must have taken them a while before they found Sabertooth, huh?" Lucy solemnly questioned.

"Not necessarily." Gray interjected. "Sabertooth wasn't always the guild that it is today. When Sting and Rogue first joined, it was ruled by a master with zero compassion. He only cared about becoming the strongest guild in Fiore and he didn't care about what they had to do to get there." He said in disgust.

"He cared nothing for the well-being of his guild members." Juvia sadly added. Her voice was quiet and broken, which was very unusual for the energetic water mage. The subject seemed to hit home for Juvia and Lucy wondered if the bluenette had some sort of similar experience in the past.

Charle picked up where Gray left off. "Their guild was on the road to becoming a dark guild if they continued under the same heartless master. Eventually, the members of Sabertooth had had enough."

"Sting and Rogue came to the realization that guilds were supposed to care for one another. They wanted to become people who looked out for their friends and supported each other. _That's_ what truly makes a guild strong; their bonds and the feelings behind them. _That's_ what makes Fairy Tail so strong. It's never been about how much magic power someone has. Because what's the point in being the most powerful if you don't have friends and family to share that wonder with?" Wendy said rather maturely, and suddenly Lucy was viewing Fairy Tail in a whole new light.

Sure, she already knew that the guild was amazing...but after hearing such words come from a young girl's mouth, words that were inspired by that very guild...Lucy was all of a sudden yearning to have the same mark on her own skin that the rest of the members proudly wore. She desired to truly be a part of that family.

Lucy was broken out of her reverie when Charle carried on the story. "The boys decided that it was time to turn Sabertooth into a guild where all of that was possible. They overthrew their master, and eventually managed to turn their ways around. You wouldn't even know that Sabertooth had such a dark past with how they are now. I'd say their bonds with one another rival those even of Fairy Tail's."

Despite the sad beginning, Lucy felt touched by Sabertooth's story. "I admire them for overcoming their struggles. I'm sure it wasn't easy." A smile spread across her lips as she looked at her companions. "I look forward to meeting this new and improved Sabertooth."

Conversation continued on to other topics, and Lucy was left alone for her thoughts for awhile. She smiled smugly to herself when she realized that she had been successful in averting everyone's attention away from her and Natsu. She would have to remember to char all of Happy's fish later on for revenge.

"So, Lucy. What are you going to do if Yukino knows how to use that key of yours?" Gray asks after a short period of time. "Are you going to go back home right away?"

Lucy's head tilted to the side as she considered his question. Truthfully, she hadn't thought that far ahead...Something was telling her that it wouldn't be that easy to figure out how to get home, so she hadn't even gone over the possibility. "Honestly, I don't really know. I mean, I know that my mom is worried sick and I would really like to let her know that I'm alright...But I don't know if I can bring myself to return home just yet." Her eyes met with Gray's dark, curious ones. "I still have so many unanswered questions. I mean, this is technically my homeland and there's definitely a reason that I've been brought back here...I'd really like to find out what it is. I just feel like I'd be doing myself an injustice if I were to just up and leave...but it's not like I have anything figured out yet. I doubt information about this key is widely known, so this Yukino person might not even know anything about it." She ended in a way that was meant to reassure herself more than anything.

"But let's just say that you do find the answers to all of your questions, and you learn how your key works. After all of that, do you plan on leaving Earthland for good to go back to your home planet?" Gray pushed forward curiously without realizing how blunt he was being.

This was the question Lucy was hoping most of all to avoid. She refused to let even herself think about it, much less talk about it out loud on the spot. "W-well, I mean..." But there was no avoiding it now. She would have to confirm what she least wanted, making it a reality that she couldn't turn back from or avoid. "I suppose, when you put it that way...I have no choice. When the time comes, I have to go back. I'm all that my mom has. I can't just leave her alone." Lucy frowned as the words left her lips. She knew it was true, but it saddened her to think about because everything was _different_ now. Lucy may be all that her mother has...but her mom wasn't all that _she_ has anymore. She had so many people in her life now that she adored and the very thought of leaving them all behind made her terribly sad. It felt as though she was already beginning to mourn the loss of everyone she had met and she hadn't even left them yet...

It was then that Happy spoke up, throwing Lucy's thoughts into an even worse disarray than they were in before.

"What if someone asked you to stay?"

Lucy sputtered, but her jumbled mind wasn't able to form any words. Charle scolded Happy for his outright inquiry while Lucy was left with confused thoughts whirling around in her head.

"What?" Happy questioned, confused about why he was being chastised. "I mean, everyone leaves their parents eventually, right? When they grow up, that's what happens. And Lushi just turned eighteen. That makes her an adult now."

Lucy must have looked frighteningly pale because Gray attempted to come to her aid by saying, "Drop it, Happy."

Happy, Gray, and Charle were beginning to argue when Lucy finally regained her composure. She lifted a hand and quietly said, "It's okay. He was just curious, it's alright." Lucy smiled at Happy; or, at least, she hoped she smiled. She was still so discombobulated that she wasn't sure if her face was making the right movements to form a smile correctly. "You're right, though, Happy. People normally do leave their parents when they grow up...but I don't think I'm quite ready for that yet. Or I guess it would be more accurate to say that I don't think my mom is ready for that yet."

Lucy then gave a small little laugh. "Besides, I haven't been here long enough for something that extreme to happen! For someone to ask something like that from someone else, they would have to have an extremely close bond. I mean, they would be asking me to completely leave behind everything that I have ever known to start something entirely new with them. That's kind of the biggest, most life-altering question you could _ever_ ask someone!" Lucy finished with a smile and a roll of her eyes. "No one would ask me that." She declared surely.

As soon as that last statement had left her mouth, everyone in the car stared blankly at her. Seconds dragged on as they continued to stare and Lucy squirmed in her seat.

"W-what?!"

Gray looked away first, muttering under his breath. "Geez, and I thought she was smart..."

"Excuse me?!" Lucy indignantly exclaimed.

"Oh, nothing."

Lucy blushed before crossing her arms and glaring out the window. "W-whatever. You guys are crazy."

Happy snickered. "That's rich coming from you, crazy lady!"

Lucy felt a vein throb in her head but decided to dutifully ignore the exceed and focus her attention instead on the beautiful landscape that was blurring past them as they sped along.

It wasn't long after that when the gang arrived near Sabertooth. The guild was located at the top of a hill with only a staircase leading up to it, so Erza had to park their vehicle at the bottom, right where the street ended. Lucy gently shook Natsu awake. When she told him they had arrived, he gratefully jumped out of the car, barreling over Gray with reckless abandon in his hurry to escape.

Erza stopped their imminent quarrel by simply sending a deathly dark glare their way; Lucy guessed that the redhead was still upset about leaving all of her luggage behind.

The group began trekking up the stairs, thrilled to be able to stretch their legs after their long car ride. They were half-way up the staircase when Erza suddenly said, "Did anyone else just feel that?"

Gray and Juvia nodded while Natsu, Wendy, and Lucy merely looked confused.

"We just stepped into a magic circle. There must be some sort of enchantment surrounding the guild." Erza informed them. "I'm not sure what it's for, but it's new. It definitely wasn't here last time I visited." Her eyes hardened and she quickened her pace. Let's hurry, something may have already happened. I hope we're not too late."

Everyone increased their movements, jogging up the steps now. Lucy noticed Gray slide closer to Juvia as he eyed their surroundings, constantly scanning for any hidden threats. She would have smiled at the fact that he was obviously ready to protect Juvia at any given moment if need be; however, Lucy knew that now wasn't the time to be smiling. Right now, she needed to stay focused and serious. So she kept her eyes ahead and hurried along their path, completely oblivious to the fact that a certain pink-haired someone had also instinctively slid closer to her, ready to protect _her_ at any given moment as well.

Sabertooth's guild was just coming into view when Natsu and Wendy both froze. The pinkette grasped Lucy's hand to stop her from continuing forward and urgently said, "Stop, someone's coming this way. And fast."

Before anyone had time to do anything, a flash of blinding, white light barreled into Natsu, hitting him square in the chest and knocking him backwards. Lucy panicked, and attempted to run to Natsu's aid when the flash of light suddenly morphed into a human being. The man that had materialized was a blonde and had the biggest, happy smile on his face.

" _Natsu!_ " He enthusiastically exclaimed as the pair flew off the path and roughly landed in a heap on the grass.

Natsu shoved the boy off of him. "Ow, what the hell, Sting?!"

The boy, Sting, merely laughed at the tough love and said, "It's been a while! _Fight me!_ "

Natsu growled. "You wanna go, punk?!"

Instead of replying, the boy launched himself at Natsu again and they began rolling around in the grass brawling in a blur of light and fire.

Lucy's eyes found it impossible to keep up with the boy's chaotic movements, but her worry immediately disappeared. She now knew that this person was friend, not foe. A smile spread across her lips as she watched the two brawl. _So this is the power of two dragon slayers._

Lucy's attention was dragged away from the brawl when another man appeared beside them, but this one materialized out of wispy, black shadows. He had black hair, covering one eye; his visible eye seemed to be eagerly searching for someone among their group.

"Is Gajeel here?" The boy questioned.

Erza stepped up to him. "Hello, Rogue. It's been a while." She greeted warmly. "Unfortunately, Gajeel is back at the guild. But If you were hoping to test your strength against him, I could stand in as his replacement." She offered valiantly while drawing her sword from seemingly nowhere.

Rogue paled and quickly held up his hands in front of him. "N-no. That won't be necessary."

Somewhere in the distance amongst his brawl with Natsu, Sting laughed. "Aw, c'mon, Rogue! Don't back down!"

Rogue mumbled, "Yeah, right. How about you come fight her instead?"

Sting immediately shouted, "No way!"

Lucy marveled at how amazing it was that Sting could hear Rogue mumble under his breath from so far away, while in the middle of a fight no less! She had to remind herself that they had the same surreal, enhanced abilities as Natsu. She found herself fascinated with each of the dragon slayers and quietly observed them until another voice pulled her from her thoughts.

"Erza? Gray? Oh, wow, and Wendy too! Oh, there's a whole lot of you!" Lucy turned to see a woman with short, white hair smiling brightly at them and walking their direction. "What brings you all here?"

Just like that, the mood changed. Wendy ran towards the woman and grasped her hands in her own. "Yukino!" She cried with relief. "Thank goodness you're alright!"

Sting and Rogue, who had frozen as soon as they saw Yukino, snapped to their senses. They both flew towards the woman's side, leaving a disgruntled Natsu alone on the grass.

"Yukino, what are you doing out here?" Rogue asked seriously.

"Yeah, you shouldn't be out in the open like this!" Sting yelled as he sent paranoid glances over his shoulder. "What if someone sees you?"

Rogue nodded in agreement. "Come on, let's go inside."

They each grabbed one of her elbows and started nudging her towards their guild entrance.

Yukino huffed exasperatedly. "Boys, calm down!" She planted her feet firmly into the ground to stop them from dragging her and sent a glare at both of them. "These are our friends. They're obviously no threat."

"But-"

"Actually," Erza interjected, sensing the need to step in and help . "We were hoping we could come inside and talk. We came here because we have reason to believe that you, Yukino, may be in danger. It appears that we may be correct in our assumptions?"

Sting, Rogue, and Yukino all shared a silent look before nodding.

"Come on in, guys. We'll fill you in on everything!" Sting said happily. He was obviously pleased with the fact that Yukino would be hidden once again within the safe haven of their walls.

The Sabertooth trio headed for the front doors of their guild, while the Fairy Tail team swiftly followed behind. Lucy allowed herself to smile this time when she saw how Sting and Rogue both attempted to completely shield Yukino from view as they walked her through the doors. Lucy eagerly trailed inside, ready to introduce herself to this fellow celestial mage that was thankfully safe from harm; ready to hopefully learn more about her magic power; and ready to finally get some of the answers she's been searching for.

* * *

 **And there you have it! Haha, I hope I was able to scare you all a little bit:p I love Sting and Rogue! And I'm very excited to include their exceeds next chapter! A lot is about to start snowballing out of control, so stay tuned:)**

 **What did you guys think? Be sure to let me know!:D**

 **SulliMike23 : I was really excited to write about her first experience summoning a spirit and using her magic! And I definitely can't wait for more spirits to come into play in this story. I'm looking forward to sharing it with you!:D**

 **arcadea333 : AHH! I seriously love writing fluff! Haha, as bad as that sounds, I realllyyy love it! I was really excited to write about Natsu's reactions to Lucy's scar! And for her finally tapping into her magic power! She's about to rageeee. Teehee:3 I was pumped to write this chapter just because I absolutely adore Natsu's and Sting's relationship! I hope you enjoyed what little of it was there at the end ^.^ I still can't decide who I ship with Yukino! It's so hard! T^T Who do you like?! Also, you'll get answers about Lucy's clothes next chapter! WOO! I love your super long reviews! They make me smile and giggle!:D**

 **Nekokittygir l: That's awesome! I would love to read your fic sometime!:D is it on here? I didn't think I saw one when I went to your profile!:( Anyways, I hope you enjoyed!:D Thank youuuu:3 Nya!**

 **SunFlowerChrysalis : Moc, moc, moc! You're perfect!:) thank you for always making me so happy with your wonderful reviews! And of course, thank you for making me so happy by blessing me with your awesome friendship! You're so sweet! Thank you a million times over! And I love Happy's consistent snickering:p he totally ships them, even though he's a little brat sometimes! Hahaha, I felt bad for poor Erza for packing her entire hoard of belongings and then not being able to bring them along with her! Ahhh, you're awesome:) thank you again!**

 **FireShifter : Thank you so much for your review and thank you for the uplifting message you sent me! It really made me happy and I felt the need to update as soon as possible:3 thank youuuuuuu! I promise to get back to updating at least once a week from now on:)**

 **Aya Rose : OH MY GOSH. THANK YOU! No need to apologize, I understand it's hard:) Have you thought about making an account? It might make it easier for you to find certain stories that you read. But thank you so much for keeping up with my story even though it's harder to do! That seriously means the world to me! I love Plue too! I think he's so adorable! And the tartaros arc absolutely tore my heart to shreds:( You have wonderful predictions, as always:) And to answer your questions regarding Zeref and END...ahhh...let's just say you're very close to finding out! I actually just finished writing the outline of the ending to this story and it made me so terribly sad, but at the same time I'm so excited to share it with you! I really hope that it blows your mind!:D **


	21. Right or Wrong

**Hello everyone! I hope everyone has been enjoying summer so far!:D**

 **So, I finished writing the outline for the very last chapter of this story yesterday...Ahhhh, you guys are going to hate me! T^T I wanted to cry just finishing the outline! But thankfully, we still have a ways to go!:D I have so much planned and I'm so excited to share this experience with you all!**

 **Thank you so much for reading! You're all wonderful^.^**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

It didn't take long for everyone to file in and settle themselves down into the many chairs that were crowded inside Sabertooth's guild hall. Once seated, two blurs flew past Lucy, narrowly avoiding her, and slammed straight into Charle and Happy.

"Charle! Happy! Long time no see!" A little red cat with a vest greeted cooly.

"Fro thinks so too!" Agreed a green cat with what appeared to be a...frog outfit? Lucy nearly squealed over how adorable it was.

The blonde couldn't help but stare in wonder as the four talking, flying cats conversed with one another happily. When she had first arrived in this world, she thought that maybe Happy was a rarity among the creatures here. Now, however, she was beginning to think that these talking cats were just as common as dragon slayers.

"Hello again, Frosch, Lector." Juvia smiled warmly at the two new exceeds.

"Glad to see you made it home, Frosch. Good for you." Gray grinned crookedly down at the little frog-cat.

"Don't let Frosch fool you," The other cat, Lector, began. "He's actually still just as hopeless as before when it comes to direction."

Frosch smiled and delightfully agreed.

"Hey, Lector. Why don't you take Happy and Charle to show them around the guild?" Sting suggested. Lucy assumed he was only trying to get the ball rolling with their intended conversation, but didn't want to interrupt the exceeds during their reunion.

"Sure! C'mon guys!" Lector yelled enthusiastically

"Fro will come, too!" Frosch shouted with excitement before flying off after Lector, followed by two fellow felines.

Once they had exited the hall, Yukino turned to face the Fairy Tail team and immediately began recounting her tale.

It started with a sigh. "I'm not sure how much you already know of the situation regarding the celestial wizards, but considering you all have come to check on me I assume you at least know that we're in danger."

Erza nodded once to confirm her assumption.

Yukino's eyes lingered on Lucy for a moment before she continued. "Yes, well...We had heard the rumors also. It all started as hearsay; just whispers among the guilds that no one truly believed. I mean, really, who would be hunting down celestial mages and exterminating them? It made no sense." Yukino shook her head.

Sting and Rogue were sitting on each side of her and were both looking rather unhappy. Sting was scowling viciously while Rogue, on the other hand, was staring solemnly down at his intertwined fingers.

Yukino went on. "The attacks on my fellow wizards were beginning to increase in number. Before long, no one could deny that there was definitely some sort of conspiracy going on. We were being hunted. And the hunter, unfortunately, seemed to be winning."

Yukino paused and her eyes once again raked over Lucy. "Some nearby guilds tried to warn me against going out on jobs. They told me to stay hidden until this situation blew over. But-"

"But we were arrogant." Sting interrupted angrily. "I was overconfident in our abilities and completely underestimated their power."

Rogue joined in. "We convinced Yukino that we would be fine to continue taking jobs. The three of us together were unbeatable...or at least that was what we thought. We messed up. We were wrong." He glanced at Yukino guiltily before looked back down at his hands.

Yukino sent a weak, yet warm smile towards each dragon slayer by her side. "The fault belongs to no one except for the people that attacked us. You both need to stop blaming yourselves."

Gray scrutinized the three Sabertooth mages individually before asking, "So what exactly happened?"

Yukino tore her eyes away from her fellow members to once again face Fairy Tail. "We didn't listen to the warnings and we went out on a job. During our journey, we were attacked. It was sudden and it was unlike anything we had ever encountered."

"We weren't ready." Rogue added sullenly. "We weren't prepared. Their power...that strength was far beyond anything we've ever known."

"As much as I hate to admit it, they mopped the floor with us. If we had known, then maybe we would've stood a chance. But we just didn't anticipate them being so powerful." Sting grunted while glaring at the ceiling. "It caught us off guard."

"What did they look like?" Natsu demanded from beside Lucy. She peeked up at him to find a dangerous expression on his face and knew immediately what he was hoping to obtain; descriptions of the people that were responsible for attacking the lighthouse.

She reached over and gently squeezed his hand, never taking her eyes off his face. She watched as he seemed to battle internally with himself over whether or not he should try to force out more information from Yukino, or turn his attention towards Lucy instead. The latter won and he slowly peeled his narrowed gaze away from the white-haired woman before him and peered into Lucy's soft, brown orbs.

The blonde smiled reassuringly. "I'm fine. Yukino's fine. Knowing what they looked like won't do us any good right now. Let's let her finish."

Natsu stared into her eyes for a moment longer before he huffed and directed his focus back towards Yukino without another word. He didn't, however, let go of Lucy's hand right away, which made her cheeks redden slightly as she turned back to face Sabertooth as well.

Yukino was watching the exchange with mild amusement before she opened her mouth to speak again. "I assure you, they are not beings that you should go searching for. When we were attacked, I shouldn't have made it out alive. They've been aiming to completely annihilate celestial wizards, for whatever reason. I was lucky that Sting and Rogue were with me." Yukino's voice lowered then, and she turned the direction of her gaze down before anyone could see the tears that were beginning to pool. "Right before I was about to die for sure, they managed to help me escape."

Erza's brow scrunched up. "I don't understand. So these people just let you get away? Did they not try to pursue you further?"

"One of them was able to manipulate and control explosions." Rogue answered. Natsu's grip on Lucy's hand tightened significantly upon hearing this particularly familiar detail. "We were able to get to Yukino a second before his giant explosion went off. We assume they didn't follow because they think that we perished in the blast."

"They should have made sure we were dead." Sting growled. "Their biggest mistake was letting us live."

Natsu let out a bark of laughter. "You're damn right it was." His eyes locked with Sting's and they shared a murderous smile. "They messed up when they underestimated us. Next time we meet 'em, we're takin' them down."

Sting beamed at Natsu. "Hell yeah, we are. I'm all fired up!"

"Watch it, punk. That's my line!"

"Natsu! Sting!" Erza yelled while glaring daggers at the two rambunctious boys. "Are you two forgetting something?"

The duo of rowdy dragons slayers gulped and settled down immediately.

"Yukino?" Wendy began timidly. "Is something wrong?"

This question brought all eyes back onto the white-haired mage. Lucy noticed that her head was still down and her fingers were nervously twiddling together.

"Juvia is also concerned. Did something else happen with these attackers? Yukino looks rather upset for someone who managed to escape death." The water mage speculated quietly.

Sting and Rogue were completely silent. They were peeking out of the corners of their eyes at Yukino with a mixture of guilt, sadness, and anger.

Finally Yukino shrugged and let out a long sigh. "I managed to get away, but it was at a cost. They took my spirits. Every single one of them." She looked up with tears brimming in her eyes. "The moment we were attacked, my keys were the first thing they went for. After that, it was all over. I don't know if I'll ever see my companions again."

Yukino's voice broke on her last sentence and Lucy's heart broke along with it. She couldn't imagine the pain that this woman was going through knowing that she was unable to do anything for her precious friends. Lucy only had one spirit, and not even for very long at that, but she still couldn't fathom how it would feel to have Plue stolen from her. Her hand subconsciously reached up to grasp her keys, making sure they were still there. She exhaled with relief the moment she felt the familiar tingles shoot up her palm when her skin made contact with the strange metal.

"Yukino..." Sting began.

"We're so sorry. It's all our fault." Rogue murmured.

"We should have listened to everyone's warnings..."

"Nonsense." Yukino declared whilst wiping her eyes. "As I said before, it's no one's fault. You two are not to blame. The ones responsible are the ones that took my keys, not either of you." She forced a smile onto her face in order to reassure her friends that she was alright and Lucy began to admire her even more. Yukino was being so courageous and strong; putting on a brave face for her friends even when she felt so utterly heartbroken was something that Lucy found very commendable.

Suddenly, Yukino turned to lock eyes with Lucy and the blonde froze.

"I'm sorry." Yukino's eye contact with Lucy didn't waver. "I'm sorry for not warning Fairy Tail of this danger sooner." Her gaze then flickered to Erza. "We didn't think to spread the word to your guild because we knew that there wasn't a celestial mage amongst your ranks. Or at least, we knew that there wasn't one _before_." Her eyes pointedly locked once again with the blonde's and Lucy immediately blanched.

Yukino knew...Levy and Freed went through all that trouble to put an enchantment on the lacrima bracelet to conceal Lucy's celestial power and yet somehow, Yukino still knew what she was. What did this mean? Could others sense it as well? Would Tartaros be able to find them now? Were they already on their way?

Questions piled up inside Lucy's head but she was too shocked to voice any of them. She could only stare open-mouthed and wide-eyed at Yukino until the white-haired woman let out a small giggle. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to put you on the spot like that." She smiled warmly at Lucy. "I'm assuming by your shocked expression that you've found a way to conceal your celestial magic from others. We did the same thing after the attack. There's an enchantment surrounding the entire guild right now that cloaks mine as well. It also lets us know immediately when someone without a Sabertooth crest steps foot inside its perimeter."

Erza nodded with comprehension. "So that's what that magic circle was for..." She mumbled under her breath.

"Please, let me assure you that you have no need for concern," Yukino continued. "Your enchantment is definitely working. I can't feel a single bit of magic power coming from you at all."

Lucy sputtered. "B-but then...h-how?"

Yukino gestured towards Lucy's body. "It was your clothes that gave it away. They're from the celestial spirit realm." Lucy gasped as she looked down at herself and Yukino smiled kindly before she went on. "I only know because I've worn something similar before that was given to me by one of my spirits."

Erza cleared her throat. "Well, I guess now that that's out of the bag...Yukino, Rogue, Sting; this is Lucy, our newest member." Lucy's eyes shot towards Erza and her cheeks set aflame. Newest member? Did they really already see her as a fellow member of Fairy Tail, even without the emblem?

She was still gaping at Erza in awe when the redhead turned her sharp gaze on Lucy.

"Now then, Lucy." Erza began somewhat threateningly. Lucy squeaked involuntarily and she heard Natsu snort beside her.

"Scaredy cat." He snickered under his breath, low enough for only her to hear.

She sent him a dark look before focusing back on Erza. _As if you'd be any different, you hypocrite_ , she thought with annoyance.

"You've got some explaining to do, I think." Erza continued. "How is it that you have clothes from the celestial spirit realm?"

Lucy's eyes widened fractionally as she realized that she hadn't filled the rest of the gang in on what had happened before their journey. She had only told her pink-haired companion, since he had been there when it happened.

She was about to respond to Erza, but found that she wouldn't get the chance due to Natsu taking it upon himself to answer for her.

"Luce is just crazy. She has weird visions and then strange invisible people apparently undress her." He said with a smirk aimed in her direction.

Lucy slapped her palm against her forehead. _Dammit, Natsu..._ He was messing with her and she knew it. He wouldn't have smirked knowingly at her like that if he wasn't teasing her.

"I'm sorry, everyone." Lucy sighed after she sent a dark look Natsu's way. "What this big mouth beside me _meant_ to say was..."

And then Lucy launched into a full explanation of what she had seen in all of her dreams. For the sake of the members of Sabertooth that had no idea what was going on, she recounted everything that had happened to her from the very beginning; ever since she first received the World Key from her mother. Natsu and Erza helped fill in missing information as much as they could.

After a very long-winded and detailed story, Lucy was out of breath and tired of speaking. How many times had she retold this story by now? How many _more_ times would she retell it in the future?

It was Sting that spoke up first. "Wait...so you come from a world where there's _no_ magic?"

"That was the first thing I said too!" Natsu cried, sounding almost distraught.

"That sounds _awful._ " Sting wailed.

Lucy was close to face-palming again when she heard Yukino's soft voice. "This World Key you speak of...Can I see it?"

Lucy's brown eyes widened. Did Yukino have information about the World Key? Had she heard of it before? Maybe she was about to show Lucy how to use it...

Should she feel happy or sad about that?

Rather than focusing too much on her thoughts, the blonde hesitantly pulled the chain from around her neck. Her fingers were once again trembling while she attempted to unclasp the hook. She felt Natsu's eyes boring into her, which only made her even more nervous as she struggled. Finally, once undone, she hastily pulled the World Key from its chain and shakily handed it to Yukino.

Lucy tried to read the woman's face for any sign of recognition as Yukino gingerly held the key between her fingers and examined it closely. "The World Key...this is incredible." Yukino mumbled and Lucy's heart sank; surely this meant that Yukino had heard of the World Key before, right?

The blonde was beginning to slump when Yukino continued. "I've never heard of anything like this before." Her words contradicted Lucy's conclusion immediately. "It's incredible. I can't believe there's another secret celestial key."

Lucy perked up right away. So Yukino doesn't know anything about it? That's great news! Or wait...was it? Her mind was getting confused and she wasn't sure what she was supposed to be wanting anymore...A part of her wanted to return home; to see her mother again; to be surrounded by all that was familiar and _safe_. But the other part of her yearned for this mystery that she found herself in the middle of. That part of her wanted to stay in Earthland; to become a powerfully strong wizard; to help solve the problem that was plaguing the celestial mages in this world...and to stay with Natsu and the others.

She was at war with herself and she could no longer deny it. What was right? What was wrong? Where was she supposed to go from here? What _would_ she do if someone asked her to stay in Earthland?

Thankfully, her thoughts were interrupted when Yukino held the key back out towards her. "I can't believe something like that actually exists. I guess it just goes to show that there will always be new amazing things to learn in this world." The girl smiled radiantly and her words seemed to speak directly to Lucy's soul. She was right...there were still many amazing things left to be discovered on this planet. Lucy's _home_ planet.

"Yeah...you're right." Lucy agreed softly as she strung the World Key back onto her necklace, along with Plue's key. "So you've really never heard anything about the World Key before?"

Yukino shook her head. "No, I'm afraid not. I'm sorry." She glanced at Lucy's keys longingly. "If I still had my spirits, I'd be able to ask them about it."

Lucy reached across the table and squeezed Yukino's hand. "No, please, don't be sorry. I can only imagine how you must be feeling right now." Lucy's voice was earnest, and filled with emotion. Yukino's eyes widened and tears began to well up again, but Lucy continued. "I don't really know much about this world, or about magic in general. But I know how sacred the bond between a celestial mage and a spirit must be...and I'm truly sorry for all of your losses." Lucy's eyes locked onto Yukino's with an intensity unlike any she had ever used before, and suddenly, she knew what was right. She knew what she had to do; what she was _supposed_ to do.

"But I promise you that we'll get your spirits back. Even if we have to hunt down every last member of Tartaros and pry the keys from their hands. We _will_ make sure that they're returned to you. And Tartaros will never want to mess with a celestial mage ever again." Lucy vowed in a hard, determined voice. She only realized belatedly that she meant it, one hundred percent. Somehow, someway, she would make things right for the woman before her. It was as if some sort of primal instinct had awoken inside her, and all she knew was that she had to find some way to protect the celestial spirits and their fellow mages. It felt...right.

Natsu chuckled appreciatively beside her. "All right!" He shouted his approval and smiled encouragingly at the blonde. "That's what I like to hear! _Now_ I'm fired up!"

"You can't use that line when I just said it earlier!" Sting quipped in a teasing manner, while simultaneously sending a grateful, somewhat surprised, look towards Lucy.

"It's _my_ line, I can say it when I want!" Natsu roared.

"Oh yeah? Wanna fight? Winner claims the right to use it whenever they choose! Loser can't say it ever!"

"Bring it on, punk!"

Within the next instant, the two boys were hurled into a bright, fiery brawl. Gray happened to be sitting too close to the scuffle and one of Natsu's wild flames 'accidentally' singed the sleeve of his coat. A vein throbbed in Gray's forehead as he yelled, "Watch it, you idiots! These are new clothes, Juvia just freakin' got them!"

"Oh yeah? Then maybe you shouldn't be throwing them on the ground right now, you heartless exhibitionist!" Natsu hollered back.

"Shit!" Gray cursed. But rather than choosing to pull his discarded clothing back on, he decided to join in on the fight. "Who are you calling an exhibitionist, you arsonist!"

The three jumped together and continued their seemingly deadly brawl. At first glance, someone might think that the boys were aiming to actually kill one another. But the constant stream of laughter that reached Lucy's ears said otherwise.

"Men." Erza sighed with a roll of her eyes. But to Lucy's utmost surprise, Erza turned her attention away from the trio without breaking them apart. "I'll let them duke it out for a while. They need to get their energy out before our return journey home." Erza's eyes met Lucy's and she smiled proudly. "Besides, I need to find out some more information to relay to Master if we're hoping to confront Tartaros in the future. Rogue, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like for you to tell me everything that you remember about the people you encountered."

"Of course." Rogue hastily replied.

While Rogue and Erza were deep in conversation, Lucy and Yukino got to know each other a little better. Lucy found that she was instantly fond of Yukino; the white-haired mage was just so kind. The warmth from her smile seemed to radiate into Lucy. They talked about celestial magic, and Yukino informed her all about her somewhat wacky spirits. Each one was so unique to the other one, and had very distinct and wonderful personalities. Lucy said that she couldn't wait to meet them with a smile.

Yukino told Lucy about powerful spells that only celestial mages could perform, and the blonde was completely enraptured by the very thought of becoming strong enough to use these amazing spells. Yukino asked Lucy what spirits she had contracts with, and Lucy happily told her all about her first experience summoning a spirit.

The exceeds returned after a while, and before long, Lucy had summoned Plue and he'd begun to dance happily around the table while the two celestial mages continued their conversation. Wendy and Juvia cooed over how cute they thought Plue was, while Happy merrily choked on laughter upon seeing him again. Eventually, the blue cat joined Plue on the table and mimicked the little snowman's dance. Frosch excitedly jumped up as well, and soon the three of them were entertaining everyone with a silly dance performance. Charle attempted to look unamused, but even she couldn't suppress a little giggle from escaping, which sent Happy straight to cloud nine.

Lucy and Yukino discussed the visions, and what exactly they thought that they all meant. Yukino theorized that Lucy's most recent vision may have taken place in the celestial spirit realm, but she couldn't say for sure because she had never been there before. She only had a hunch, because Lucy had come back from that vision wearing clothing from the spirit world.

"As for who's been communicating with you...I'm not entirely sure. Have you ever come into contact with any stellar spirits before?" Yukino questioned curiously.

"No." Lucy quickly answered. "Or at least...I don't think so."

When the girls hit a dead end with their theories, they decided that they just didn't have enough information to go off of, and moved on to a different topic. Yukino helped Lucy make her contract with Plue, which was something that Lucy was completely unaware about having to do. Afterwards, the girls laughed with one another while they sat back and enjoyed watching the boys violent antics.

Before they even realized it, hours had passed and Erza had declared that it was time to head back to their own guild. If they didn't report back soon, Master would surely get worried. Gray, Sting, and Natsu were all laying on the floor panting, covered from head to toe in scuffs and bruises.

"Get up, you lazy mongrels." The redhead said with a smile of adoration. "It's time to go home."

Sting began to pout, but Natsu demanded that he come visit Fairy Tail soon so they could settle their match and that seemed to calm him down. The pinkette then turned his grin towards the dark haired dragon slayer. "Hey Rogue, make sure you come too and whoop Gajeel's ass for me! Bastard always has it coming for one reason or another."

"Oh, don't worry, we'll be there!" Sting promised as he slung an arm around Rogue's shoulders. "And we'll kick both your asses!"

"Thank you, Yukino. For everything. I've learned a lot tonight about celestial magic. I can't wait to put all of your information to use." Lucy smiled graciously.

Yukino pulled Lucy in for a friendly hug, which flustered the blonde to no end; she still wasn't used to this feeling of friendship quite yet. "No, thank you...for everything that you said. It's been so great to meet you. I'm sure we'll see each other again soon!"

Wendy hugged Yukino and wished her farewell. Sting and Rogue ruffled the young girl's hair in a brotherly manner while saying goodbye.

Juvia said her farewells while helping Gray to his feet. When he willingly threw his arm around her shoulders and leaned on her for support, the water mage nearly spontaneously combusted with excitement and they both fell to the floor again in a heap.

Natsu laughed hysterically at the sight until Charle mentioned something about getting back into the car. He immediately turned green, along with Sting and Rogue, and the three of them held their stomachs nauseously.

"Good luck, Natsu..." Sting murmured between gags.

He shook his head mournfully as he stumbled towards the car in defeat. "C'mon, Luce. I need to sit by you again."

Yukino gave her a wink and pushed her along after him with a giggle. "Go on, you better not keep him waiting."

Lucy blushed, but Yukino was kind enough to not call her out on it. "Bye everyone!" She called instead. "Thank you all for coming to check on me. It was wonderful to see everyone again!"

"Later, guys! We'll come visit soon!" Sting shouted after them, and Rogue silently waved after them with a smile.

Frosch and Lector flew into the air and frantically waved goodbye. "Later, Fairy Tail! We'll come see ya soon!" Lector called.

"Fro will come too!" Frosch sang with a grin.

Everyone piled back into the car, and Erza climbed up into the front seat once again. Before pulling off, she turned around to see the Sabertooth members waving in the distance. "I'm thankful that you're alright, Yukino!" She shouted up the hill. "Take care of her, boys." She said in a quieter voice, fully aware that their dragon slayer senses would still pick up what she was saying. "Until we can find some way to make things right." She could just barely see Sting give a thumbs up and Rogue nod his head in agreement. Erza smiled.

That was the last thing she saw before she attached the SE plug to her wrist and the car pulled away from Sabertooth, speeding along in a hurry to get home. The occupants inside the vehicle all seemed to let out a simultaneous sigh of relief -except for Natsu, who, of course, was already groaning with nausea.

Gray went back to staring out the window. A few moments of silence passed before he said, "Things could have gone a lot uglier. I'm glad they were okay for the most part."

Juvia nodded in agreement. "Although Juvia does feel bad for Yukino. Juvia can't imagine what it would be like to be unable to use her magic anymore." The bluenette said sadly.

"Not only that, but..." Wendy began with a crestfallen look. "She lost her spirits. From what I understand, a celestial mage's spirits are her closest allies and companions. Or, supposed to be anyway...That must be really hard on her."

"S'only temporary...blegh..." Natsu managed to say between gags. "Right, Luce? Ughh." He slumped over and his head once again fell in the blondes lap.

Lucy felt touched that Natsu planned on backing her up...she had recklessly promised to retrieve Yukino's keys for her without so much as a second thought, and Natsu hadn't even hesitated to agree. Although Lucy didn't plan on going back on her word, she couldn't help but to grow a little bit nervous now that she had some time to actually sit and think about what she was supposed to do. If this Tartaros guild was strong enough to take out two dragon slayers at once, then what in the world could she possibly hope to achieve by confronting them? She was doomed!

 _Hush,_ she told herself viciously. _If you think like that, you'll never accomplish anything._ She just had to train. She had to grow stronger. Yukino had taught her some amazing spells, now she just needed to gain the magic power that would allow her to use them. It wasn't impossible...it would just take time and hard work.

She began to stroke her fingers through Natsu's hair again. "Right." She agreed with him finally. "It's only temporary. We'll get them back to her."

Natsu mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like "atta girl" before his eyes closed and snores began to fill the car.

"Hmph. See? As I said before, he won't need troia anymore so long as Lucy is with him." Charle snarkily pointed out.

Happy's snickers accompanied Lucy the entire ride home.

* * *

 **I miss Sabertooth already! I enjoy writing Sting a lot. But they'll come back into play soon! I was going to have the gang stay the night at Sabertooth, but I couldn't really find much of a point in prolonging their stay any more than what was necessary!**

 **But now you knoww...Yukino's keys have been stolen! T^T Why? For what reason? Any questions? Ask away!:D**

 **Next chapter involves something pretty huge! I've been anticipating releasing next chapter for a while, so I'm SO excited that it's finally almost here! I hope you all are ready! We're about to find out a HUGE piece of information about the plot!**

 **Aya Rose : Ahh, I'm glad you liked that too! I think it would be cute how protective Sting and Rogue would be over her! So adorable! I definitely want to incorporate more Gruvia into this story eventually! And I'm sorry that Yukino wasn't able to reveal some information about the World Key. I want it to be such a mysterious, unknown object that very few people actually know about it! BUT, Soon, within the next two chapters, you'll find out a ton of information about it, among other things!:) Thank you so much! I love your reviews! They make me really happy with how in depth they are!**

 **arcadea333 : Hahaha, thank you! It feels good to be back fighting the good fight!:D I couldn't stand to leave you all hanging for too long! I love Sting and Natsu! They're my brotp! And I can't wait to incorporate even more of Sabertooth into this story later on! FROSCH WILL BE BACK!:D As always, thank you for reviewing! You always make me giggle!:D**

 **SulliMike23 : Ahhh, I have a bad feeling about all of it too! I've got nervous goosebumps...But it shall be an epic adventure!:D Thank you so much for reviewing! ^-^**

 **Nekokittygirl : I understand, that makes sense! I almost wish that I had written this entire story first before posting chapters. It would have made things easier, but alas, you live and you learn! Anyways, let me know if/when you post something, I'd love to read it!:D Nya~ :3**

 **FireShifter : Tehehe, Lucy may be pretending to be in denial, but we all know how she really feels ;) Sting's greeting with Natsu was my favorite part to write of last chapter, I love their relationship so much! I'm glad you enjoyed that:D And again, thank you so much for being so kind! You're awesomeee~**

 **BrokenGlass12 : OH MY GOODNESS, THANK YOU! Ahhh, it makes me soooo happy when someone new finds this story and enjoys it! You have no idea how absolutely thrilled that makes me!:D Thank youu~ I'm glad that yoU enjoy the NaLu! I absolutely adore writing them! And it's only going to get better from here;) Your review made me gush from giddiness, ahhhh! Thank you, thank you, thank you!**

 **THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH FOR READING, FOLLOWING, AND REVIEWING!**

 **It means the world to me:) I can't wait for the rest of this experience with you all:) let me know what you guys think!**

 **also, next week, I'll be going to Electric Forest~! YAY! So it may take me a little longer to update, but I promise I'll do my best! What kind of music do you guys like?:D**

 **Thanks again!**

 **Have a great night!**

 **-Mac**

 **xoxoxo**


	22. The Lion, the Wizard, and the Wardrobe

**Hello everyone! I'm finally back from vacation! It's so good to be back:) I've been so excited for this chapter release, so I've been working really hard to get this chapter out ever since I got home and wow, it's a long one! I almost split it into two chapters since it's so long, but I figured you guys deserved a chapter this length after the two week break!:D**

 **Before we get started, everyone should go check out 'Mail Ordered' by Cresentgenisi. It's an amazing Fairy Tail fic that's set in western times! I started reading it and absolutely fell in love! Seriously, everyone go check it out, follow, and review!:D**

 **I hope you enjoy! We have much to talk about at the end:)**

 **Thank you so much for reading!:D**

* * *

The guild was as rambunctious as always once the team arrived back in Magnolia. However, as soon as the information they'd learned from Sabertooth had spread like wildfire, Lucy noticed that, for the first time since she had came to Earthland, Fairy Tail had grown eerily silent. All eyes focused on the master as he quietly pondered over everything that Erza had just relayed to him.

Minutes that felt like ages passed in a dreary silence. Finally, Makarov lifted his head and opened his eyes. They were blazing with hardened determination and the air in the guildhall seemed to thicken with his resolve. He scanned the faces of each and every one of the members before he cleared his throat and began to speak.

"Children, we have been faced with numerous threats before, and I'm sure we will continue to be faced with them for many years to come. However..." He paused when his eyes landed on Lucy.

Everyone hung on to Makarov's every word. Lucy glanced around to see all of the members glued to the edge of their seats. She found herself growing nervous. Was Makarov going to say that she had been too rash in her decision to confront Tartaros? She hadn't really thought of the repercussions at all before blurting it out. Maybe Makarov didn't want to involve Fairy Tail in any way...and maybe she had overstepped her boundaries...Lucy's head lowered in shame as she waited for Master to continue.

He cleared his throat and Lucy looked back up to find his eyes still fixed on her. "No enemy has ever harmed my children and gotten away with it." Lucy felt her chest warm as Makarov's gaze moved away from her to scan around the room once again. "They are killing innocent people...They have stolen from our friends...They have fallen down a dark path that leads to no return. So long as they are a threat to Lucy, they are an enemy of Fairy Tail! And we will make them rue the day that they made us their enemy!"

Makarov threw his fist skyward with that final declaration and the hall erupted with cheers. The motivation spread to every individual and Lucy's eyes welled up because of all of their sincerity.

Natsu, who had been standing beside her the entire time, turned a wide, crooked grin her direction. "See? Told ya we'd keep you safe!" He said happily.

That was when he noticed the tears threatening to spill out of her eyes and he immediately began to panic. "H-hey!" His hands waved around helplessly. It was terrible how much he hated it when she cried. "What's wrong? I thought this was a good thing..."

"No, it is." She quickly wiped her eyes and forced a smile onto her face. "I'm just so grateful. For everything." Her smile faltered slightly as her thoughts weighed heavily on her shoulders. "But I'm so nervous at the same time...I have a bad feeling about all of this. There's so much I still don't understand." She looked at Natsu earnestly. His concern for her was etched all over his face and she felt the heat in her chest rise significantly. She knew that he would jump into any fray to protect her. He'd surely do that for any of his nakama. That was just the type of person he was, and it was one of the many things she admired about him as a friend. But what if the time came for _him_ to need protection?

Before she could stop herself, her honest worries poured out of her mouth. "And with you being so wreckless all the time, you're bound to run into trouble whenever we finally confront them." He started to protest but she quickly cut him off. "Don't even try to argue, we both know it's true." Natsu grumbled, but he let her continue without interrupting. "Don't get me wrong...You're so strong. A-and your magic is insane, so I know you can take care of yourself. I've seen it first hand." Lucy had subconsciously wrapped her fingers tightly in Natsu's scarf, holding him in place as if she were afraid he would disappear. She stared at the strange, scaled fabric with bright red cheeks.

"But you said so yourself that this enemy is different. Even Sting and Rogue couldn't take them down...I want to grow stronger. No, I _will_ grow stronger. But I don't know what kind of time we're dealing with. What if they come and I'm not ready." Finally, she looked up from his scarf to meet his wide, green eyes. "How am I supposed to protect you too if I'm so weak?"

Natsu was momentarily struck speechless. His mouth hung open slightly as he stared down at the blonde that currently had her hands wrapped tightly around his scarf. She was close enough to him that he could see each of the tears that clung to her eyelashes; He could feel each of her small breaths gently blowing against his skin; He could read the fear on her face as clearly as if he was reading a book. He wasn't entirely sure what had caught him off guard the most in that moment...the fact that her cause for concern was her worry about _him._ Or the fact that somehow, in such a short amount of time, he had begun to notice _every_ little thing about her.

He didn't understand it. He had never paid this much attention to someone before in his life...Maybe it was because she was so weird. After all, she _was_ an alien. Sort of. Or maybe it was because he felt responsible to protect her, since he was the one that found her. Either way, he didn't mind it at all. It just confused him. He wasn't used to wanting to be around anyone this much before, besides Happy, of course. And Igneel. And he definitely wasn't used to seeing so much concern written across someone's face just for _his_ well being. His chest felt kind of funny. Was this what it was like to feel flattered? He wasn't quite sure, but he definitely didn't want her to worry or feel scared anymore. So he decided it was time to compose himself.

A single tear escaped her eye and left a wet trail down her cheek. Before it could fall to the ground, he swiftly wiped it away, leaving behind a scorching heat in its place.

He grinned widely down at her. "That's what you're worried about? Geez, Luce, you're supposed to be the intelligent one out of the two of us."

Her mouth popped open. Is her making fun of her for opening up to him? Men are _so_ insensitive! She dropped his scarf and made to pull away, but he grabbed her hands in an iron-like grip before she had the chance.

"You think you're weak? That's crazy." Natsu wasn't smiling anymore. He was staring at her seriously. "You woke up on a different planet. Then, almost immediately, you were kidnapped, and even tortured." His eyes grew dark when he said those words, but he continued. "You found out about some pretty big lies you were told your entire life. Then found out some bastards are hunting down wizards that specifically use _your_ type of magic, and you _still_ want to learn it. Somehow, these bad things just keep piling up, and yet you have the time to worry about _everyone_ else other than yourself. You lost your mom, who you lived alone with for as long as you can remember..." His eyes softened and Lucy wondered if he was thinking about what it had been like for him when he had woken up in a similar situation with Igneel. "But rather than completely lose yourself because of that, you manage to walk around here with one of the brightest smiles I've ever seen." Suddenly, the splitting grin was back on his face. He dropped her hands, deciding that she probably wasn't going to go anywhere anymore. "I don't understand how you could ever think of yourself as weak. You're one of the strongest people I've ever met."

Now, Lucy found _herself_ to be the one struck speechless. Her thoughts came to a halt and words completely escaped her. She stared up at his grin with a look that was filled with nothing but surprise. Is that really what he thought about her? Is that what he saw when he looked at her? _Come on, Lucy. Say something..._

When she said nothing, his grin changed slightly. His eyes drooped until they were half-lidded and a sly smirk replaced his smile. She knew she was in trouble when she heard a small chuckle leave his mouth. "But really, Lucy, I'm surprised." He started in a low voice. "I didn't realize ya worried that much about me." He teased arrogantly with a raised brow.

That broke her out of her reverie immediately. "W-what? N-no!" She sputtered in denial. "I'm worried about everyone in the guild, not just you!" She waved her hands in front of her frantically, but she knew that her beat-red face probably gave everything away. Yes, it _definitely_ gave everything away...She could tell by the look he was giving her and the open laughs coming from him when he saw how flustered she was.

Finally she huffed and crossed her arms. Her face felt so hot, she was sure that steam was rising. "W-whatever!" She exclaimed in defeat. "So what? I didn't know it'd be that big of a deal to worry about somebody!"

He ruffled her hair with one last bark of laughter. He probably hoped that it would calm her down or something, but in actuality, she only felt more embarrassed. "Nah, it's okay. You're just easy to mess with." He grinned. "I get worried about-"

He was cut off when someone slung their arms around both Natsu's and Lucy's shoulders and squeezed them all together. "Hey, you two," Cana slurred between them. "Get a room!" She giggled.

Lucy began to frantically wave her arms again. "C-cana! It's not like that!"

Natsu tilted his head to the side in confusion. "What are you talking about? We already have a room. I have a house, ya know..."

Lucy looked at him mortified. At least he didn't seem to grasp what the intoxicated brunette was implying...

The rest of the night flew by in its usual fashion. People partied, danced, sang, brawled, and laughed until morning. But Lucy could feel the slight tension in the atmosphere; Fairy Tail would be engaging in conflict with Tartaros. No one was exactly sure when, but Master assured her that they wouldn't just rush into things. They would prepare, they would train, and they would investigate.

It was decided that Erza would leave the next morning to find out as much information as she could about Tartaros. The only thing Fairy Tail was certain of was that Tartaros was a part of the Baram Alliance, a pact formed by dark guilds. Other than that, Tartaros was a complete mystery. This was actually the first anyone could ever recall hearing about them making a move against other wizards.

That same night, Lucy asked Natsu if he would help her train to become stronger. He agreed immediately; the excitement was evident in his eyes as he pumped a flaming fist in the air. Juvia, Gray, and Erza happened to overhear, and they offered their help as well. Lucy needed training physically, mentally, and magically, and they all felt that they had some sort of tip or trick to offer that would help her along the way. Eventually, most of the members in the guild were trying to sign up to give her lessons, and while Lucy felt slightly overwhelmed with all the training she would be undertaking, she couldn't help but feel immensely grateful overall. Even Master offered to give her some special training.

The next morning, Erza set out on her journey to scout out information. Lucy was awoken from her slumber by Natsu bouncing around on top of her bed (Master had insisted that she borrowed a bed from Fairy Hills if she planned to continue staying at Natsu's house). "Lushiii!" His voice snuck its way into her world of dreams. "Come onnn! Let's train!"

Dazedly, she opened her eyes to see his excited face leaning, very closely, over hers. Confusion swept over her before her sight had fully adjusted and she freaked out; a scream escaped her lungs and she flung her arms up, which incidentally sent Natsu flying off the bed and landing in a heap on the floor.

As soon as she realized what had happened, she scrambled off of the mattress to check on him. "Natsu! I am so sorry!"

He lifted a shaky thumbs up. "Nah...That was awesome." He pushed himself into a sitting position and Happy laughed loudly at the flaming red imprint she had left on Natsu's cheek. "How the heck are you so strong?" He murmured as he rubbed his sore face.

Lucy couldn't help but giggle. She didn't realize at the moment that that would be the last time she would laugh that entire morning. Natsu's training was _hell_. Not just because he tended to burst into flames without meaning to anytime he would get excited; no, it was hell because she came to the harsh conclusion that she was absolutely _not_ in shape.

And somehow, Natsu had a limitless supply of energy to just go at it _all. day. long_. By lunch time, Lucy was a sweaty, wheezing mess. She nearly collapsed onto the bar stool as soon as she got into the guild.

Mira didn't even need to ask. She let out a little giggle as she slid a glass of ice water across the bar to Lucy. "Training with Natsu, huh?"

Lucy graciously gulped down the water before nodding sullenly. "I don't know how he does it...he's a monster!"

Mira laughed once more. "Yeah, he does tend to overdue things a little, doesn't he?"

"A little?!" Lucy scoffed. "I feel like every bone in my body has turned to jello! I don't know if I can keep this up..."

Mira's eyes softened as she regarded Lucy. "Try asking him to tone it down a bit. He's probably just excited." She smiled sadly. "Natsu has always kept to himself, so he never had the chance to train with other members of the guild, aside from the fights he would get into, of course. No one has ever actually asked to train with him, so I'm sure he's really happy about it. He probably just doesn't realize how hard it is on someone with no experience."

Lucy was silent as she took in Mira's words. She swirled the ice around in her glass. So Natsu trained by himself ever since he came to Fairy Tail? That must mean that he acquired all of that strength on his own, through his own dedication and willpower...Lucy smiled down at her empty glass. He really was something else...

Mira brought out a plate of food and Lucy scarfed it down rather quickly- Natsu must be rubbing off on her; her eating habits were starting to become a tiny bit sloppy. With a hurried 'thank you', Lucy pushed herself off of the bar stool and ran out of the guild to search for her pink-haired trainer. Talking with Mira had opened her eyes to how important this training was, for both her _and_ Natsu. So how could she even joke about giving up? No way! A new, excited energy coursed through her veins as she searched the grounds.

The moment she found Natsu, and Happy, she eagerly asked if he was ready to continue.

"Oh, hey Luce. That was fast." He scratched the back of his head as he eyed her. "So, uhh...You kinda looked a little miserable earlier. How ya holdin' up? We can slow down if you want. I'm not really sure how to do this whole trainer stuff..."

Lucy unleashed the biggest smile she could muster, resulting in Natsu staring at her in dumbstruck confusion. "Nah, I'm good with this." She crossed her arms with playful agitation. "What? Don't think I can keep up with you?"

He lifted an eyebrow at her sudden complete change in attitude. But he decided to play along nonetheless; he smirked at her before taking on the stance he had been using to spar with her. "Yeah right. I'd hate to see what you'd look like if we were actually goin' at my pace." He lifted a hand and beckoned her towards him. "Alright, let's go again."

A shudder ran through her body. Of course he was going easy on her. She should have guessed that. And Lucy agreed with him wholeheartedly; she'd hate to see what she looked like if he trained her at the same level that he trained himself. She'd probably fall apart...A grin spread across her features as she readied herself for her attack.

OoOoOoO

A week passed while Lucy trained from morning to dusk, only taking small breaks to eat and rest. Natsu trained her physically; they ran, sparred, and swam, among numerous other things. He taught her basic offensive and defensive moves. He even taught her breathing techniques that would help keep her from running out of breath and stay focused. No word had come back from Erza during her travels, so every member of the guild took this time to prepare for anything that could happen. Everyone seemed to be training in one way or another, and Lucy was happy to be a part of that.

Gray and Juvia helped her some days. They worked on teaching her all about different kinds of magic. She learned about each type's strengths and weaknesses. Before long, she began to feel like she had a basic understanding of all of the different magic types and a general idea of how she could go up against them or, at the very least, defend herself against them.

Master taught her different ways to focus her magic. His training was more like meditation, which was a nice break from all of the physical stuff, but it was strenuous nonetheless. She learned that her magic was sort of like any other muscle in her body; it could grow stronger and easier to use with more practice, emotion, dedication, and time put into it. During her sessions with Makarov, he taught her how to _feel_ her power. In order to do so, she had to feel the earth, the wind, the air on her skin; she had to synchronize her breath, and her very being, with nature. By becoming one with the magic in the air and the world around her, she could manipulate her own power. After some practice, Lucy could feel her magic swirl around her as she released it in a whirlwind of energy. Her hair danced along in the breeze, tickling her nose.

"Very good, Lucy." Makarov praised. "You are already doing exceptionally well for someone just beginning. Porlyusica was right to say that your power is exponential."

Before long, two weeks had passed and Lucy was already feeling stronger, and better, than she had ever felt before in her entire life. She could now feel her magic radiating throughout her entire body all the time. She described it to Natsu as feeling like her soul was constantly tingling; but it was an amazing sensation. She hoped that she would never grow used to it.

She kept Plue out as often as she could. Yukino had mentioned to her that keeping her spirits out for longer periods each time she called on them could help her increase her capacity for magic power. In the beginning, it exhausted her to keep Plue out during her training sessions with Natsu or Master. Now, however, she could keep him out throughout her entire training session without so much as feeling a tug on her power. The thought of her improvement made her giddy. And with still no word back from Erza, she knew that she had nothing but time to continue to improve even more.

It had now been a little longer than two weeks since Lucy had begun her training. After dinner one evening, she had been glancing at the job request board with mild interest. When her eyes just so happened to fall upon a job that rewarded the wizard that completed it with a silver key, her interest skyrocketed. She excitedly showed it to Natsu and expressed her wish to take on the job once she felt more confident in her abilities. It was a monster hunting job, and although she was very happy with her progress, she didn't exactly feel ready enough to take on something dangerous.

"Sure!" He agreed with enthusiasm. "Whenever ya want, we'll go!"

Lucy bounced up and down happily. The idea of having another key in her collection excited her to no end. "Yes! Thank you, Natsu! I'm gonna go ask Mira if we can hold this for a couple days!"

Before she ran off, Natsu blurted out, "Hey, Luce?"

She paused on a dime and whirled around to face him. His voice sounded strange; it was a mixture of giddy excitement and a thin layer of nervousness. But Natsu was never nervous, so what would make him sound like that?

"Yeah, what's up?"

"Well, remember when I told you about the rainbow sakura trees? And the festival Fairy Tail has for viewing them?"

Lucy's heart fluttered as she recalled that day. She remembered their exploration through Magnolia and their talks in the park that evening all too well; her birthday party that night, however, was a different story. She didn't _quite_ remember all of it, but she still looked back on that day and felt nothing but appreciation for Natsu. He'd been looking out for her from the very beginning. She smiled at the memory as she responded. "Yes, of course. "

"Well that festival is tomorrow." He mentioned casually while he poked some food around on his plate.

Lucy's eyes widened at his words. _That's_ why everyone in Fairy Tail has been so excited and buzzing about the past couple of days? She'd been so caught up in her training, she had hardly been in the guild at all. And even when she was there, she was in her own little world, going over everything she had been learning in her head. Excitement bloomed inside her chest at the news.

"I know we've been trainin' every day and all, but I think we should take a break. That way you can be a part of the festival tomorrow." Natsu scratched his head awkwardly. "I mean, if you want. I'm fine with trainin' too. I don't really think the trees are that big of a deal, but you seemed pretty excited about it when I told you before so I just thought that I'd-"

"Duh! Of course we can!" She exclaimed, cutting into his rambling. "I definitely don't want to miss it! It sounds amazing!"

When Natsu grinned happily and returned to his plate of food, Lucy turned away to head towards the bar. But before she left, she glanced back at him. "See? What'd I tell you? It's time for the festival and you're still stuck with me." She teased.

Natsu rolled his eyes. "How tragic." He joked back.

She stuck her tongue out at him before running off to talk to Mira about the job. Lucy wasn't quite sure why, but she was practically radiating with happiness. She just felt so good today. Maybe it was because she had improved so much over the past couple of weeks; or perhaps it was because ever since she had discovered her magic, she felt like she had been reborn; or maybe it was because, despite everything they were preparing for, she had never felt like she perfectly belonged somewhere so much before. Here, on Earthland, her home planet, was where she felt truly alive. Fairy Tail felt like a second home. She had never been more certain about a decision than she was about the one she'd made to stay here and help make things right in this world.

Maybe it was just a combination of everything that made her feel so phenomenal. Lucy didn't know for sure but she shrugged it off, coming to the conclusion that there was no point in pondering over the reason behind it. She should just enjoy it; so she decided to bask in the wonderful, happy feeling.

Later that night, Lucy practically skipped home. Happy made fun of her the entire time, but she was in too good of a mood to pay him much attention. Natsu, who normally joined in with Happy when he was making fun of her, stayed unusually quiet during the walk. He walked with his hands clasped behind his head while he observed the two in front of him. Maybe he was losing his mind, but Lucy seemed...brighter. No, not emotionally. But rather, it was as though her skin itself was gleaming. Natsu rubbed his eyes vigorously. What the heck was up with him? When he opened them again, she still seemed slightly illuminated. Yep, that settled it...He was definitely losing his mind. Her craziness was finally rubbing off on him.

Ah, oh well. He didn't really care. Lately, he'd been the happiest he could ever remember being, and he wasn't going to let a minor thing like going crazy ruin it. Pushing aside those thoughts, he decided to finally join in with Happy while he poked fun at Lucy.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, you two! Can't a girl be excited for something without being made fun of?" She called back to them as she skipped along.

"Yeah, but you just look creepy when you smile like that!" Happy joked while doing his best imitation of a scary smile.

Lucy twitched. "I'll show you creepy, cat!" She then proceeded to chase Happy through the trees in an attempt to catch him.

"Ahh! Scaryyy!" Happy cried. "Natsu, help!"

"You got yourself into this one, buddy." The pinkette chuckled.

Suddenly, Lucy changed direction and tackled the unsuspecting dragon slayer to the ground. "Ah!"

They rolled a couple of times before landing roughly with Natsu on his back and Lucy on top of him. "Hah! Gotcha!" She teased with a wink. "Don't go acting all innocent, mister. I heard you making fun of me with him."

Natsu blinked up at her in absolute shock. A couple of weeks ago, Lucy would never have been able to tackle him to the ground like that. Her strength had improved, definitely, but her speed was more surprising than anything. He was proud of her progress. She was improving at a very fast pace.

But he couldn't just sit there and let his student show him up. He smirked up at her and before Lucy had time to react, he flipped her over top of him. She twirled in a circle until she landed on her back; within a second, their roles were reversed and he was now the one pinning her to the ground. He leaned down until his face was inches from hers and gave her a smug look. "Hah." He breathed, sending his campfire-and-pine-tree aroma washing over Lucy's nose. "Gotcha." He mimicked her words with satisfaction.

Somehow, their rather playful situation seemed to turn into something else entirely. All of a sudden, Lucy seemed to realize how close his face was and the air around her began to heat up. Her skin felt as if it had set on fire where his body was holding her down. Natsu appeared to come to this realization at the same time. His breath caught in his throat and they both froze, staring at each other silently for a fraction of a second.

A small little snicker came from directly beside them and they both turned beat red. Their heads whipped to the side to find Happy standing right next to them, covering his mouth with his little paws. "Natsu," Happy mock-whispered with a maniacal giggle. "You liiiiike each oth-Ooph!"

Lucy had thrown Natsu off of her in order to free herself. This caused him to fall over and land directly on top of Happy.

The blonde was completely flushed, from head to toe. "Give it a break, Happy!" She shouted a bit too loudly. In order to avoid further embarrassment, she turned on her heel and ran directly to their house.

Natsu was extremely confused as he watched her run off. For some reason, he got the feeling that she was upset. Did he do that? He scratched his head as he thought back on what had happened. He grew even more discombobulated as he remembered how much his heart had started to race right before Happy had spoken up. What was with him tonight?

"Natshu!" Came Happy's muffled voice from below Natsu. "Can't breathe!"

"Oops!" The dragon slayer stood up immediately. "Sorry, buddy."

Lucy flew through the front door of Natsu's house. _Geez._ She slapped her cheeks as soon as she got inside. _What's with you?_ She questioned internally _._ She really needed to learn how to not let Happy's jokes get to her so much. It's not like Natsu actually liked her or anything. What was there to be embarrassed about? And besides, even if he did like her, why should she feel embarrassed about that? That would make her glad, wouldn't it?

 _Whoaaa, there._ She laughed loudly at herself. Her thoughts were headed in some crazy directions. It was probably for the best if she stayed away from ideas like that entirely. She finally had someone she considered her best friend; a goofy smile spread across her face as that thought crossed her mind. There was no need for her to go making things complicated with these crazy fantasies. She had definitely read one too many romance novels.

By the time Natsu and Happy wandered through the front door, she had composed herself entirely. Both boys seemed a little hesitant, like they were worried she'd be upset when they walked in. But on the contrary, Lucy had only smiled, laughed, and spoken excitedly about the festival that was coming up the following day. She pretended like the previous spectacle hadn't even happened.

Natsu eyed her suspiciously. He had a feeling that she was acting a little funny, but he decided not to push it. After all, he wanted her to look forward to the next day. He was excited just thinking about it; he had some pretty impressive fireworks planned that he couldn't wait to shoot off.

After getting ready for bed and discussing their plans for the festival, the trio decided it was time for sleep. When they all crawled into their own sleeping spaces, the prior event had been all but forgotten. Their training that morning had worn Natsu and Lucy (especially) out, so it wasn't long before Natsu's snores began to fill the small home. At one point in time, Lucy had thought that there'd be absolutely no way she'd ever be able to sleep around Natsu's loud snoring. Now, however, she felt that it was almost calming...as weird as that may be. She found that she couldn't normally fall asleep until Natsu had first.

If she had to guess, she'd say it was probably similar to someone needing one of those machines that makes ocean sounds in order to fall asleep. Back on Earth, she had always kept the television or the fan on; just something that made low noise in the background that could lull her to sleep. Now, on Earthland, it seemed she had Natsu to do that for her.

With a smile and a small yawn, she let her lethargy tug her under. Dreams of rainbow cherry blossoms and bonfires danced across her mind. It was a very peaceful sleep. That is, until-

" _Lucy. Wake up. It is time, old friend."_

Her eyes snapped open.

OoOoOoO

Natsu awoke suddenly to the sound of his door slamming shut. _What the hell?_ There's no way it was already morning...Confused, he sat up slowly and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. When he felt somewhat awake, he took a good look around and stretched his arms up high into the air.

"Luce?" He questioned into the dark room.

His eyes adjusted quickly to the darkness, thanks to his dragon slayer senses. They widened when he realized that Lucy's bed was empty. He listened silently for a moment. Maybe she was just in the bathroom. Or maybe she was getting something to drink.

But no. He didn't hear either of those things. She was definitely no where in the house. So he hadn't imagined the sound of someone opening the door? Natsu's eyes scrunched together in confusion. What was she doing at this hour of the night?

He jumped out of the hammock easily; something that Lucy still struggled with to this day. A small chuckle escaped his lips as he recalled the first time they had spoken, right after she had fallen out of his hammock. The look on her face had been priceless.

He quietly made his way to the front door, but not before Happy popped his head up. The feline rubbed his paws against his eyes as he dazedly looked towards the dragon slayer. "Natsu?" He slurred sleepily. "What's going on?"

"Nothin', Happy." Natsu replied in a whisper as he opened the door. "Go back to sleep."

"Mmkay." Happy agreed before plopping down onto his back.

Natsu stepped into the cool, night air. He looked in all directions but didn't see any sign of Lucy anywhere. She couldn't have gone that far in such a short amount of time, so he closed his eyes and inhaled. Thankfully, he caught a faint trace of her scent, but the direction it came from confused him; it was leading away from his house, deeper into the forest. Not towards Magnolia or the guild.

When he opened his eyes, he turned and headed into the trees. _What is she doing?_ He wondered silently as he hurried onward.

It didn't take Natsu long to catch sight of her in the distance. She was walking quickly, in a straight direction, as if she knew exactly where she was going. Natsu stopped for a moment as he watched her. He tilted his head to the side and tried to remember if they had ever come out this way for any reason before. As far as he knew, there was nothing out this way. It would be a five hour trek from this location before reaching the next town over. Other than that, there was nothing but woods and dangerous creatures between those two destinations.

But for some reason, Lucy was headed this way. And she was definitely walking with a purpose. He shook his head and decided to keep moving. He ran until he was right beside her.

"Lucy? Whatcha doin' up so late?" He noticed the goosebumps running down her arms and could see the fog forming in the air with each breath she exhaled. "Don't'cha think it's a little cold to be taking a walk?" Sure, it was warm during the day, but the nights in Magnolia were still pretty crisp.

She didn't respond. In fact, she didn't even slow down or look his way.

Growing ever more confused by the second, Natsu matched her pace and kept up beside her. "Um...Luce? Y'know, wherever you're goin' can wait until tomorrow."

No response.

"Plus, I've told you about the monsters that live in these woods, right? I know we've been training, but it's still kinda dangerous to walk around alone." He glanced around just to make sure they didn't have any company. "You should've at least told me. You know I woulda come with you.." His head tilted to the side in thought. "Well, I guess I did end up coming regardless, but..."

No response.

A vein throbbed in Natsu's head. What's with the silent treatment? She'd never acted like this with him before. He was growing annoyed. "Luce." He pleaded.

When he was yet again ignored, he had had enough. "Lucy!" He exclaimed as he grabbed her arm and pulled her backwards, forcing her to stop walking and look at him. "What's your-wait a minute, what?" He stopped dead in his tracks as soon as he looked into her face.

Her normally chocolate brown eyes were glowing brightly. Her irises resembled liquid gold, similar to the color of her hair but much more phosphorescent. In fact, Natsu realized that her entire body was luminous, shining along with the moonlight. So he hadn't imagined it earlier when he thought she looked brighter...

However, what startled Natsu more than anything was the way she didn't even seem to recognize him. It was like she was peering straight through him, as if he wasn't even there at all. Or perhaps it was _her_ that wasn't really there...

Natsu dropped her arm in shock. As soon as he had let her go, she turned around and continued walking in the same direction, keeping up the same hurried pace as before.

"Okay..." He murmured quietly. "You just get weirder and weirder..." Having absolutely no idea as to what to do, Natsu decided that the best course of action would be to follow her. That way he could at least keep her safe until he found out where she was going; and what the heck was going on with her.

He jogged up until he was once again at her side. "Ya know..." He began, knowing full well that he wouldn't get a response. "This just kinda proves that I'm right about you being a little..." He moved his finger in a circle beside his head, indicating she was cuckoo.

When she didn't say a word, he sighed. "It's not as fun messing with you if I don't get to see your reaction." He narrowed his eyes when he looked at her again. "You better not stay like this, you weirdo."

Natsu clasped his hands behind his head as he walked beside her in silence. Every so often, he would glance over to see if her eyes were still glistening that strange golden light.

After about an hour of walking, Lucy's pace slowed down. Natsu had been whistling absentmindedly when he noticed that she had fallen back behind him slightly.

"Lucy?" He questioned as he slowed down to match her walk. Maybe she was snapping out of it since she seemed to be slowing down? It was the first change in her speed since he had first grabbed her arm and made her stop moving.

But she hadn't snapped out of it at all, he realized. She had only slowed down because she seemed to have arrived at her destination. Natsu looked around the area. There were no houses, no people, no buildings; nothing out of the ordinary in fact. The only new thing that lay before them was a pond.

Lucy came to a complete stop right at the very edge of the pond and looked out across the smooth water. Lily pads with small lotus flowers dotted the top of the pond, and the sound of frogs croaking filled the night air. Lightning bugs danced across the sky, creating a beautiful twinkling reflection on the waters surface. Even Natsu could admit that it was a fairly pretty sight to behold, but other than that, he could see no reason as to why Lucy would be out here in the middle of the night.

He was sick of the silence and he was ready for some answers. "What the hell, Luce? We walked all the way out here for this?" He shook his head in agitation. "Ya know, there were probably a hundred ponds just like this one _a lot_ closer to my house."

Natsu would have continued ranting if he hadn't seen Lucy react in a different way than before. Slowly, and silently, she lifted her arm and pointed into the middle of the water.

Natsu raised an eyebrow, but his eyes followed the direction she was pointing nonetheless. For a moment, he saw nothing that stood out as unusual. But after concentrating hard on where he was looking, his keen eyesight caught onto something that didn't make sense. Right in the middle of the pond, there was a small, gold light, much like the twinkling reflections of the fireflies. However, this light didn't blink. It didn't move. It was completely stationary. Meaning that, whatever it was, it definitely wasn't a lightning bug. No, it was actually something glowing from the bottom of the pond.

"Oh. There's somethin' down there, huh? Is that what you're here for?" Natsu turned back to Lucy, but completely froze in shock when he saw her. His jaw popped open and his eyes bulged out of his head. "L-lucy?" He choked out in astonishment.

She was quickly peeling off her pajama top, and tossing it aside without a care in the world. As soon as it was off, she began with her bottoms. Natsu couldn't help but stare wide-eyed for a moment before he came to his senses and whirled around. His face was beat red. He was so caught off guard for the time being, that he didn't even consider why she would be stripping down to her underwear. "Uh, umm...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to look, I didn't really expect-"

A splash cut him off and Natsu once again whirled around to face the pond. "What the-Shit! Are you crazy?!"

Lucy was no where to be seen. The pond was pitch black, due to the darkness of the sky. She had completely disappeared below the surface. Natsu couldn't even see the glowing object anymore; Lucy was probably blocking it from the moonlight, which was the only reason it had been able to glow in the first place. If Natsu couldn't see in the water, how could she possibly hope to see?

"Shit." Natsu repeated under his breath before diving into the pond without even bothering to remove his clothes. He swam down, reaching out as he went, hoping to grab ahold of Lucy. Many moments passed as he swam, but he felt nothing. He hadn't even reached the bottom yet, which made no sense to Natsu whatsoever. There's no way the pond was this deep...it wasn't even that large of a pond!

He began to panic as he frantically swam around searching for her. He needed to swim to the surface to replenish his air soon. Maybe Lucy had done the same. Surely she couldn't hold her breath any longer than he could. He changed directions and headed for the surface of the water. However, when he looked up, he couldn't see the moon. He saw nothing but darkness everywhere he looked. Confused, he decided to swim in the direction he _thought_ was the surface, but still found nothing. He swam and swam but all he saw was darkness.

He was running severely low on air now and he wasn't sure what to do. This pond made absolutely no sense...How could it be so large when it looked so small on the outside? He hadn't even swam that far down, so why hadn't he resurfaced yet? _Think, Natsu, think._

That was when he felt it. Why didn't he notice it before? Dammit, he was so stupid...A dark, malignant magic was flowing through the water of the pond. The very essence of the magic felt evil and sent a chill down Natsu's spine.

Some sort of enchantment must have been cast on it, he guessed; probably to prevent whatever was at the bottom of the pond from being found. This enchantment must have been one that made whoever jumped into the water unable to resurface. It probably made them swim in one spot until they ran out of oxygen. He had to figure something out, and he had to do it fast. Lucy was in this water too. If they didn't get some air soon, they would both drown.

His thoughts began running wild. _Dammit, Lucy's in trouble._ The water around him began to heat up in his panic. _We need Levy or Freed here to break the enchantment. Shit._ He pulled his hair in frustration and squeezed his eyes shut. _Hurry, Natsu, think! Ahh, If I knew who cast this spell, I'd boil them alive in this same pond!_

His eyes snapped open. That's right...This is water. It may be enchanted water, but it was still water. And what could fire do to water?

In a hurry, Natsu let all of his magic explode out of him at once; he made sure to only affect the water, since Lucy was floating around there somewhere too. Before long, the water began to evaporate, turning into steam that rose up into the sky before disappearing from view entirely.

When the water was gone, Natsu gulped in the night air, gasping from his exertion of magic power. Lucy was a few feet away from him choking out a few lungfuls of water. He crawled as fast as he could through the mud until he reached her and collapsed beside her in exhaustion.

"Are. You. Crazy?!" He exclaimed furiously.

"Natsu?" She questioned between gasps. Her eyes were wide and she was shaking from head to toe. "W-what is going on? W-where are we?" Her teeth chattered together as she attempted to crawl closer to him. She needed to be warm right now, and there was nothing on Earthland that was warmer than Natsu.

"Oh, _now_ you're awake?! Of course!" He huffed angrily.

"I-I d-don't understand." She stuttered miserably. Where were they? She looked around shakily. They seemed to be in the bottom of a muddy trench, in the middle of a forest. But how did they get there? Why was she soaking wet? And why in the world was Natsu so upset with her?

He read all of the questions and the confusion in her eyes. Even though he wanted to stay angry, he knew that he couldn't. It was impossible. Especially when she had no idea what was happening right now, and she looked so cold and miserable. He eyed her up and down for a moment longer, and literally felt the last of his anger evaporate, just like the water. She was safe. That was all that mattered.

Natsu sighed. "I'll explain everything once we get warmed up." His energy was shot after releasing all of his magic at once. He closed his eyes and leaned forward until their foreheads connected. "Don't ever scare me like that again." He murmured.

At first, her eyes had widened when he'd collapsed against her and pressed his forehead against her own. But then, she leaned into him and closed her eyes as well. His body heat seemed to embrace her and slowly her shaking stopped. _So warm._

Clearly, something traumatizing had happened. But as much as she wanted to force information out of him, she wanted to relish in this moment even more. Right here, right now, she felt safe. And thankful to be alive. Whatever it was that they had just gone through, it must have been dangerous; she could tell by how much her heart had been racing when she came to.

He sighed again as he pulled away. She wanted to protest and pull him back to her; when he moved away, he took the warmth with him. However, his next words were even more problematic than the cold.

"C'mon. Let's get you home. Gray's stripping habits are starting to rub off on you, you're going to get sick..."

Confused, she looked down at herself. For the first time since she'd woken up, she seemed to take notice of her wardrobe...or rather, her lack thereof. Her lacy bra and panties did very little to cover her body. No wonder she was so cold. Wait, why was she in her underwear...with Natsu?! " _Kyaaa!"_ She screamed at the top of her lungs and attempted to cover herself at the same time.

Natsu snickered at her reaction as he climbed out of the muddy hole; it was the only thing left of the pond. He grabbed her clothes from the ground and quickly returned to where she was curled up in a ball. She snatched them from him and screamed for him to turn around.

"Okay, okay, sheesh." He grumbled.

She pulled her clothes on quickly. When she gave him the okay, he turned around once more and found that her face was bright red. There was something about her facial expressions when she was embarrassed that he couldn't help but find amusing. He chuckled at her, momentarily forgetting his frustrations with the entire situation. That was when he saw the strange light materialize back in her eyes.

"Lucy?" He questioned uncertainly. Great...Not again...

This time, however, she spoke. Her hand raised in the air and she held out a small gold key, an object that Natsu hadn't even noticed was clutched in her palm until right at that moment.

"Open, Gate of the lion! Leo!" Her voice rung out clear and strong.

Natsu watched in awe as a bright cloud of golden light lit up the entire area, momentarily blinding him. _So it was a zodiac key that was hidden at the bottom of the pond? No wonder Lucy was led to it..._

Natsu's excitment grew, washing away all of his earlier concerns. He eagerly looked forward to seeing whatever spirit it was that Lucy had just called upon. What Natsu _wasn't_ prepared for was who he saw when the cloud of golden light vanished.

Standing there, with a sly smile and those same stupid glasses, was none other than-

" _Loke?!"_ Natsu yelled incredulously. He nearly fell backwards in his shock.

"Leo." Lucy breathed. Something about the way she greeted him was familiar, as if he were a lifelong friend. Natsu's jaw dropped as he turned to see that she was completely herself too; her eyes were back to their normal warm brown. She was staring at Loke with a strange look. She seemed happy, confused, and sad all at the same time, and Natsu couldn't make sense of it.

Loke bowed forward slightly. He reached for Lucy's hand and gingerly brought it to his lips. The dragon slayer nearly spontaneously combusted when he watched Loke press a kiss right on top of Lucy's hand. _Oh, hell no!_

"Hello, beautiful." Loke said smoothly as he straightened up with a smile. "It's been far too long."

Lucy's face turned scarlet once more, and something about that pissed Natsu off. She seemed at a complete loss for words so she just stared at Loke with her mouth hanging wide open.

Natsu's eyes darted back and forth between the two of them for a second longer before his confusion and irritation got the best of him.

" _What the fuck is going on?!_ "

* * *

 **Dun dun dunnn! Yay! So, sorry this was superrrr long! Maybe I should have split it into two chapters after all .-. But I wanted to show how much Lucy was progressing while also showing how much time had passed after they visited Sabertooth, so I figured that the longer chapter helped convey that!**

 **Overall I struggled with getting this chapter out! I hope it turned out okay:( I'm sorry, my inspiration had been going up and down on a wild rollercoaster!**

 **Butttt, lots of NaLu fluff! Hehehehe. I may need to tone it down a little! I don't know, what do you think? I don't want to make them progress toooo much too quickly.**

 **I'M SO EXCITED FOR NEXT WEEK'S CHAPTER TO COME OUT~! Soooo much information will be in it! I've been looking forward to it since I started writing the very first chapter!**

 **Who's excited for Loke?!:D I absolutely adore him! I'm so happy that he's finally made an entrance!**

 ** _Any guesses as to why Lucy was led to him now rather than right when she first came to Earthland?_ I wanna hear your thoughts! All of them!  
**

 **Thank you so much for the reviews!**

 **SulliMike23 : Hehehe, we're soo close to finding out why!:D I can't wait for you to know! Thank you again for reviewing! You rockkk!:D**

 **aidansidhe : Oh wow, that makes me feel so wonderful! Seriously, you have no idea how happy that makes me! I love the feeling of finding a story and not being able to put it down! So to know that my story was capable of doing that to someone else makes me gush with happiness! Thank you so much! I'm thrilled that you'll be joining us along this ride!:D**

 **arcadea333 : Tehehehe, your reviews make me so happy as always! I love how happy Lucy gets whenever they include her as being a part of Fairy Tail! I can't wait for the time to come for her to actually get her Fairy Tail emblem! And I'm glad you liked the Frosch parts! AND YAY FOR LOKE TAKING THE STAGE! I've been soooo excited for him to come into play! He'll be in the next chapter, a lot! And you'll find out a lot about what happened with him too:) This is my first fic! Haha, you're so sweet, that makes me so happyyyyy! I already have ideas for other stories, but I really want to get this one out first! **

**Aya Rose : I always get so happy when I see a review from you! They're always so in depth and it makes me so happy because you pay attention to so many of the small details and comment on them!:D Next chapter will reveal a lot about the World Key! I'm really really excited for everyone to read it!:D I really hope you'll like it! I love the boys and their little fights that they constantly get into. AHH! You're so sweet for actually answering my question about the music! I listen to all kinds, but I love Panic!at the disco! It seems like we have similar tastes:) Thanks again for your awesome review!**

 **BrokenGlass12 : Tehehe, yay! This chapter had lots of NaLu moments! Hopefully they were alright, like the other ones! I always get so nervous when I'm writing them. Those are the parts that I want to be absolutely positive that I don't mess up! I finally got caught up with the new chapters of the manga, and I was squealing over them on so many different occasions! Their trust in each other is just so apparent and obvious, I really want that to convey in this story as well! Thanks so much for reviewing! You're awesome:)**

 **Kelp-it-up : Oh my gosh, thank you so much! I'm so happy that you found this story!:D I'm really happy that you noticed that about the beginning. I wanted it to clearly show how normal Lucy's life was before she got swept up into this amazing adventure. And I want the reader to feel as though they got swept along with her! Your review made me so so so happy! Thank you so much! Thank you for reading!:D**

 **Lodemai04 : EEP! I'm so happy that you found this story! That makes me so ecstatic that other authors are actually giving my story a shoutout! Do you remember who it was? I want to make sure that I return the favor to them! But ksjbfusbfusbj! Thank you so so so much! Your review made me squeal! I'm so happy that you think the characters are spot on! I really want readers to feel as though they're reading about the actual, real characters! So it makes me thrilled to hear when someone thinks the characterization is going pretty well! Thank you a million times! I can't wait to venture further down the rabbit hole with you!:D**

 **Thank you all so much for the follows, favorites, and reviews! I really appreciate it!**

 **Let me know what you think:)**

 **Have a wonderful day/night!**

 **xoxo**

 **P.S., ITS NALU WEEK! THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR!:D**


	23. Of Kings and Angels

**Hello to all of you beautiful souls! Did everyone enjoy NaLu week?! I certainly did! Ahh, what a glorious, angst filled week it was! By the way, if any of you have a tumblr, my tumblr name is piratedrabbles! Let's be friends:D**

 **Thank you all for reading! This story is close to 100 reviews and I'm on cloud nine! You guys are so awesome!**

 **I hope you enjoy this chapter! I really had fun writing this one!:D**

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Hundreds of different birds chirped in the trees, harmonizing with one another to create a beautiful melody for all those who would listen. Mother Nature's song and the faint lightening of the sky indicated that, soon, the sun would raise and a brand new day would begin. The rest of the world was continuing on normally, just like it always had, while Lucy's world, on the other hand, had been completely flipped upside down in a matter of minutes. She was wet, cold, and extremely tired, but more than anything else, she was confused.

 _Who_ was this orange-haired man before her? Well, Lucy gathered that obviously he was Loke, a member of Fairy Tail that had been MIA for months now. She knew this much from the 'missing' ad that had been pinned to the job board since the day she arrived. And apparently he was also Leo, the lion, of the celestial zodiac spirits. This she knew due to the fact that she had summoned him through the gold key that was still gripped firmly in her hand (which she still didn't know how or why she had). So technically, Lucy kind of knew who this man was...but that wasn't exactly what was plaguing her with questions and doubts.

Who was he _to her?_ That was what Lucy couldn't quite seem to figure out. The very moment she saw him, his name flew off her tongue with certainty and she very nearly ran forward and greeted him with a hug. A second after seeing him, however, all of that familiarity disappeared and she was left staring at him as if he were a complete stranger.

Confusion racked her brain as she desperately tried to remember what it was that had made her feel as if she knew this person. He obviously knew her, considering the flattering way he had addressed her earlier and the way he was _still_ holding her hand in his own. So why couldn't she figure out how she knew him?

Loke, Leo, whatever his name was, appeared to somehow understand what she was feeling. His expression softened until he wore only a sad smile. He opened his mouth to speak and just when Lucy thought that he was going to fill in some of the blanks, he turned his attention elsewhere.

"Hey, Natsu." He greeted smoothly. "Long time no see, huh?"

"Cut the crap, Loke." Natsu very nearly growled. Lucy looked over in shock. When he spoke just then, his voice had been filled with anger. Natsu was usually never this hostile, especially not with fellows members of his own guild. Aside from meaningless arguments with Gray, of course, but those weren't ever _serious._

When Lucy's gaze found him, she observed with a start that he was neither looking at Loke, nor Lucy. Instead, his eyes were fixed in a glare onto the duo's clasped hands, shooting daggers with his narrowed, dark-green globes.

Lucy immediately flushed when she realized what the scene must look like to Natsu. She pulled her hand away from Loke's as quickly and politely as she could, and hooked it efficiently with her other hand behind her back. That couldn't possibly have been the reason that Natsu sounded so upset, could it...? No. No way, definitely not. Lucy forced herself to calm down and refocus back on what was going on in front of her.

"Where the hell have you been?" Natsu demanded. "What were you doin' in that key?"

Loke rolled his eyes skyward before giving Lucy a look that seemed to ask 'are you _really_ hanging around this guy?'.

"Come on, Natsu. It's a celestial gate key. Why do you _think_ I came from it?" Loke asked with mock-exasperation.

Natsu may not have been the brightest, but he certainly knew when he was being made fun of. Whether Loke was joking or not, he didn't really care. The temperature of the air began to raise and Natsu took an angry step forward, but Lucy responded before things could get too out of hand.

"You're Leo. You're one of the twelve spirits of the Zodiac." She spoke with certainty, one hundred percent positive that she was correct. Her brows then scrunched together and she looked back and forth between the two boys on either side of her.

"But _how_ do I know that?" She questioned aloud while sadly peering into Natsu's eyes as if he could answer the question for her. She turned back to Loke. " _How_ do I know you?" The tone of her voice was very clearly begging for answers and she was sure that Loke had them.

The boys both looked at Lucy with varying levels of apprehension. Neither of them seemed prepared to handle her getting upset, and to be quite honest, she wasn't prepared to handle herself getting upset either. She was tired, and cold, and it was beginning to affect her mood. But right now, she knew she needed to control it.

She closed her eyes and took a few deep, calming breaths. When she opened them, her milk chocolate eyes were set with determination. She opened her mouth and questions began to stream out, one after the other. "How did we get all the way out here? Why do I have your key? Does this have anything to do with the World Key? Are you the one that's been giving me these bizarre dreams? Why did I suddenly-"

"Whoa, whoa. Slow down there, sweetheart." Loke interrupted with his hands held up in front of him. "I can't keep up."

Her lips popped open, forming a small 'o', but no further questions came out. He was right; she had to have been speaking as fast as an auctioneer just then. How was anyone supposed to understand her questions if she herself didn't even understand what she was asking? Lucy's head suddenly began to hurt, terribly. She held it in her hands and bent forward slightly.

"I'm sorry." She groaned pitifully. "I just don't understand what's going on at all. None of this is making any sense to me."

Loke's eyes softened once more. "I know, Lucy. I'm sorry." He apologized genuinely. Loke's tone surprised Natsu so much that he paused in the act of reaching out to comfort Lucy, and turned his head to scrutinize the male's expression instead.

Since when did Loke ever sound genuine about anything? To be frank, Loke had always been nothing but a rowdy smartass and a rambunctious flirt ever since he had joined Fairy Tail. He was just as quick to jump in on a brawl as any of the other mages, and he was probably the biggest player, and heartbreaker, that Natsu had ever seen. Even the girls he hooked up with seemed to know it, but that didn't stop them from going for him anyway. As much as it disgusted Natsu, he knew the truth of the matter was that good looks could get you far in the world. He hated to admit it, but that was just how things were. Except for in Fairy Tail, of course. They cared for each other for who they were, not for how they looked. _That's probably why Loke was never able to get with any of the girls in the guild,_ Natsu thought snarkily.

But contrary to all of those times in the past, Natsu was looking at a different side of Loke. For once, he was genuinely concerned for the feelings of the woman in front of him. His eyes were filled with compassion as he stared down at Lucy as if she were the only person in the world that mattered...and it pissed Natsu off to no end.

"I know how confusing this all must be for you, princess." Loke reached out and gingerly placed his hand on top of Lucy's head.

She peeked up from her hands to once again regard him curiously.

The moment she lifted her eyes, Loke smiled down at her and rubbed his hand through her hair affectionately. "But I haven't yet thanked you for freeing me from my imprisonment. You have no idea how awful that was...Thank you." He said before flashing her a dazzling smile. "You've grown up to become such an angelic woman, radiating with beauty." His smile faltered slightly as a thought ran through his head, but he pulled it back on hastily. Only Lucy seemed to notice that his grin appeared a bit more sad the second time. "I'm sorry that we had to drag you in to all of this."

Natsu was boiling. Beautiful _this,_ angel _that_. Who does Loke think he is? And why on Earthland does he think he has the right to touch Lucy so casually like that?! Clearly she doesn't know what's going on, much like Natsu himself, so why was Loke confusing her even more with all of that overly friendly bullshit?

Lucy opened her mouth to let loose another long stream of questions. Who's we? What had she been dragged into exactly? How did Loke know her from before? Those questions, along with many more, threatened to spill out, but Loke unfortunately seemed to know exactly what she planned on asking. Before she had a chance to utter a single word, Loke lifted a finger and pressed it against her lips in order to shush her.

An animalistic, almost feral, noise tore its way through Natsu's throat. "Hey. Watch it, pal." He growled threateningly. Loke was getting _way_ too personal with Lucy _way_ too fast. What if she was uncomfortable with how touchy feely this orange-haired asshole was being? Natsu convinced himself that that was the reason he was getting so terribly angry out of nowhere. He was only looking out for Lucy.

Lucy's wide-eyed gaze was fixed on Natsu and she couldn't keep the blush from forming on her cheeks once more. Why was he behaving like that all of a sudden? _Could he be-? No, no way._ Whatever the reason for his anger, it surely wasn't the one that Lucy was thinking of. _More questions_ , she thought irritably.

Loke, on the other hand, didn't pay Natsu any attention whatsoever. "I know you have questions, Lucy, and a lot of them. And now that you've freed me, you've gained access to all of the answers you could want." Lucy's head whipped back around to face Loke in a flash. Her heart skipped a beat. "But not here." Loke paused and appeared deep in thought for one moment. "There's someone that you should probably meet first. They've been waiting to meet you for a long time. And they'll be able to explain everything _a lot_ better than I can."

Lucy hesitated. Just when she thought she was finally going to solve some of the mysteries revolving around her life, she finds out that there is yet another step to complete before she _actually learns anything_. She suddenly felt drained; physically, emotionally, and mentally. This must have been what Yukino was talking about when she said that summoning a zodiac spirit took a lot more out of you than summoning the other celestial spirits...Not to mention the fact that she was _still_ soaking wet and freezing cold. She honestly wanted nothing more than to go home and crawl into the hammock, and wrap herself up in a few dozen blankets.

Her eyes widened. _You have a bed, Lucy. Not a hammock,_ she scolded herself quickly before bringing her attention once more to the matter at hand.

Yes, she was completely drained of energy. And yes, with every passing second of keeping Loke's gate open she could feel her magic power quite literally seeping out through her pores. But with the opportunity standing right in front of her to discover more about the strange fairy tale that has become her life, she couldn't possibly bare to let it get away.

She nodded once. "Okay." She agreed sluggishly. "Where can I find this person?"

Loke's eyes gleamed as if her was proud of her response, and he shot her a sly smile. "Not on this dimension. Come on, Princess. Let's go!" He urged with enthusiasm and reached out to firmly grasp her palm once more.

Everything after that happened much too quickly for Lucy to comprehend. The instant Loke's hand connected with her own, they both began to shine a soft, ambient light. The blonde looked to her side to find that Natsu, however, was not emanating that same light. Panic seized Lucy and her breath escaped her, but there was nothing she could do. It was already too late.

"W-wait!" She helplessly stuttered as the light surrounding her brightened significantly.

Natsu figured out what was happening just a fraction of a second after Lucy did. His eyes widened and he lurched forward in an attempt to reach for her outstretched hand. The moment their fingers were within an inch of grasping a hold of one another, Lucy vanished in a blinding flash.

Her sudden disappearance caused Natsu to stumble forward; he lost his balance in his state of shock and crashed to the ground in a heap. By the time the afterglow of their teleportation had evaporated and he could clearly see that Lucy was no longer there, his pot that had reached its boiling point long ago finally spilled over.

"Dammit, Loke! That bastard." He growled menacingly into the ground. "What _the hell_ is going on?" He questioned for what must have been the twentieth time since Loke's mysterious appearance.

That bastard had better keep Lucy safe wherever they were going; if that four-eyed player knew what was best for him, that is. The thought of Lucy being alone with a person like that made Natsu's skin crawl. Loke better pray that Lucy doesn't tell Natsu he did anything to make her uncomfortable...there would be hell to pay, if so.

The dragon slayer pushed himself up off of the ground, slamming his fists a little too forcefully down in the process, resulting in two smoking, charred holes in the earth. What was he supposed to do now? He had no way of knowing when Loke would bring Lucy back. Should he wait there for them to return? No, Natsu was certain that Loke would more than likely bring Lucy back to Fairy Tail, not just dump her off into a muddy hole in the middle of a forest.

So he decided to go to the guild and wait. How long could they possibly be, anyway? Besides, the sun was beginning to peak over the horizon, which meant that Mira was surely already opening up the bar; and Natsu could definitely use a big, delicious plate of the she-devil's cooking right about now...or maybe five.

OoOoOoO

Lucy's second time teleporting was much different than her first experience. When she had first traveled to Earthland using the World Key, it had felt almost as if she were traveling through a worm hole in outer space. Or in her particular case, she'd taken to referring to it as a _rabbit_ hole. Lights and colors had flown by at an immeasurable speed creating a somewhat beautiful, terrifying tunnel all around her. This time, however, the process was almost instant. There was a blinding flash of light and when it disappeared, Lucy was no longer on Earthland, but rather, in an entirely new world.

A world that she found to be very familiar.

She was standing on a fluorescent pathway floating amongst the stars, looking out upon a beautiful array of different hued planets of all shapes and sizes. Bubbles of light danced all around her as she took in her surroundings in absolute wonder. This was the magical place she had been shown in her vision when she had summoned Plue for the first time, there was no doubt about it. It was much more awe-inspiring to behold such a sight in person.

Loke chuckled beside her, causing Lucy to jump in surprise. She had momentarily forgotten his presence due to her absolute amazement of everything around her.

Her bright, wide eyes traveled to Loke. He was smiling fondly down at Lucy while waiting patiently for her to get her fill of the magnification sight before them. "Leo...er-Loke..." She began hesitantly, unsure of what to address him as.

He chuckled once more. "You may call me either, princess. Loke was my chosen name on Earthland, though."

"Okay, Loke it is." She returned his smile before once again raking her eyes over their mystifying vicinity. "I've been here before, haven't I?"

"Well, not quite. I'm sure that you've been shown this place in your mind, but this is your body's first time physically being here." He answered. His fingers then plucked playfully on the hem of her skirt. Wait a minute, _skirt?!_ Wasn't she in pajamas just moments ago?! "You've probably been given this clothing before too, haven't you?"

Lucy blanched when she looked down at herself. The clothes were different from her first revealing, blue outfit. She now wore a sleeveless white, _short_ dress. The skirt of the dress ruffled out innocently, but she knew that she looked anything _but_ innocent in this outfit. Her arms were sporting flowing, ruffled white sleeves, similar in fashion to the skirt, but they were not connected to the dress at all.

Her skin was five times paler when she looked up at Loke with mild distaste. "Do you guys _have_ to keep messing with my clothes?"

He laughed wholeheartedly now. "Sorry, princess. But humans can't come here unless they're wearing celestial clothing."

Lucy had been about ready to ask if they _at least_ had anything a bit more concealing to wear, but something about what Loke had said distracted her. Celestial clothing? Didn't Yukino mention something before about how her mysterious blue outfit had come from the celestial spirit realm as well? So that means...

"We're in the spirit realm, aren't we?"

Loke grinned. "That is correct. Now, come along, Lucy! No more questions for me. Remember what we're here for."

Lucy took his outstretched hand with a nod. Her heart began to race wildly as he led her down a bright, luminescent path. She was finally going to find out the reason behind all of this. She wondered what the person was like that Loke was taking her to meet. If they were anything like Loke, then she had no reason to feel nervous. But that didn't stop her nerves from standing on edge all throughout her entire body.

Other than the nerves, however, Lucy felt completely fine. She wasn't tired or groggy anymore, and she didn't feel that strange invisible tug on her magic.

"Hey, Loke?"

He glanced down at her through his glasses and smiled to acknowledge he was listening.

"Why don't I feel like my magic is being used anymore? You're still here with me, so shouldn't that mean that your gate is still open?"

Loke considered her question. He must have figured that it was a harmless one, because he answered her airily, with a wave of his hand. "We're in my natural realm now. You don't have to keep a gate open for me to be here, because I'm from here."

Lucy had figured it was something along those lines. Either way, she felt brand new again; her energy seemed like it could go on for days. If only she could do something about those dang nerves...

It didn't take long for the duo to reach their destination at the end of the strange, floating pathway. They came to a stop at a large, circular platform that was surrounded by pillars. In the middle of the stone platform was a long, rectangular table filled with many chairs. There was a feast unlike anything that Lucy had ever seen before gracing the top of the table.

Loke led Lucy to a chair at the head of the table where he graciously pulled it out for her. "Lucy." He then bowed with a flirtatious wink and gestured for her to sit.

She thanked him with flushed cheeks before settling herself down. He took a seat in the spot directly to her left and she gazed at him imploringly. "So where is this-"

"Greetings, old friend." She was interrupted by a very familiar, regal voice. "At long last, we meet again."

Lucy's head snapped to the opposite end of the table in the direction that the voice came from. She was surprised to find that no one was seated there; no, in fact, the figure that the voice belonged couldn't possibly dream of fitting in one of those mundane, human chairs.

To say that this being was huge was putting it _mildly_. He stood as tall and wide as a small skyscraper, towering high above where Loke and Lucy were currently sitting; his mustache alone was probably the length of a school bus. His body was much too large to even fit on the platform; Lucy assumed he was merely floating beside it, with his legs crossed beneath him. He was dressed like a warrior of the heavens. His cape billowed out and danced behind him with the bubbles of light that decorated the air.

But none of that came even close to comparing to the massive amount of power emanating from his body. Lucy had never felt anything like it before in her life. The sheer enormity of the magic power flowing from him rolled over her body in waves, and before she knew what she was doing, she had bowed her head before him.

"Raise your head, child. It is I who should bow before you." He addressed her kindly, and sincerely.

Lucy's head snapped up so fast that she felt a crack in her neck and tears sprung to her eyes, but she painstakingly ignored them. She opened her mouth to respond, but found no words suitable enough to respond with. Loke chuckled as she opened and closed her mouth like a fish out of water.

"Yeah, he's a lot to take in at first, isn't he?"

Lucy glanced at Loke, then had to do a double-take. He was leaning back in his chair with his hands clasped casually behind his head. His feet were crossed and propped up on the table in front of them. Was he really acting so casually around this, this...this _godlike_ being?

"I am glad to see that you are well, Leo." The giant spoke with a nod towards Loke.

"Well, we all know who to thank for that." Loke grinned widely at Lucy before continuing. "Lucy, this here," He gestured to large entity. "Is the Celestial Spirit King, the most powerful of all of the celestial spirits."

 _King._ Of course. No wonder he had such a regal air about him. Lucy brought her attention back to the Spirit King. He really was unlike anything Lucy had ever seen before. She had no idea how Loke was able to act so callous around him. She was shuffling through things to say in her mind when the King leaned forward, bringing his intense face closer to the table. She grew even more nervous and started floundering for words; was he upset that she still hadn't greeted him? What happened to people who disrespected a king? In all of the books that she's read, it never ended very well for the person responsible...

He stared at her sharply for a moment longer before a wide, toothy smile spread across his face, completely changing his demeanor entirely. He no longer looked the least bit intimidating; in fact, Lucy found the friendly smile to look a tiny bit comical and out of place on this fierce-looking figure.

Maybe he had sensed her unease around him, or maybe this was how he naturally looked around his friends and comrades, Lucy wasn't sure. But whatever the reason for his change of expression, it did the trick. Lucy seemed to thaw out of her frozen state of shock and her mind began ticking normally once more.

"Hello, Spirit King." She greeted with a tentative smile. "It's nice to finally put a face to the voice I've been hearing in my dreams."

The king belted out a deep, rich laugh. It vibrated through to Lucy's bones, and her smile widened even more, no longer hesitant in the least. She had no reason to fear this person. After all, he was friend, not foe. So what if he was powerful? There were plenty of people more powerful than Lucy back on Earthland, Natsu definitely being one of them.

The thought of Natsu saddened Lucy slightly. She hated that she hadn't grabbed his hand in time to bring him with her. He'd been by her side throughout everything ever since she'd magically appeared right in front of him all those weeks ago. She didn't feel right not having him with her now...But she couldn't focus on that right this instant. She would be able to fill him in on everything when she returned. And next time, she would make sure to grab his hand quick enough.

When the Spirit King's laughter subsided, he beamed a smile down at Lucy once more. "I am sorry for all of the mysteries. I'm sure that the method to which we communicated was rather confusing for you. You see, I am only able to be seen when someone summons me through my gate, or by someone who comes to this celestial dimension. And the only way for someone to gain access to the spirit realm is if they have summoned a zodiac spirit before, _or_ if someone were to accompany a celestial mage here." The king explained as informatively as he could. "I could _speak_ to you on some occasions, but even that was only able to happen through your unconscious dreams. Thus, you were only able to come here to meet me once you had freed Leo from his imprisonment and summoned him through the key that I guided you to."

So the Spirit King was the one that had guided her to Loke's key? Lucy's eyes were wide with curiosity. At long last, answers were within her reach. The problem was, she had so many questions that she didn't even know where to start. Rather than think too hard about it, she decided to start with one that pertained to what the Spirit King had just informed her.

"If you don't mind my asking, sir, why did you wait so long to lead me to Lok-er, I mean, Leo? If he's been trapped down there for as long as he's been missing from the guild..." Her voice drifted off sadly. The thought of Loke being trapped, alone, made Lucy feel terribly sad. She would have to ask more about why Loke was trapped to begin with, but she was trying to focus on one question at a time. "What I mean is, I would have went looking for his key the moment I came to Earthland if I had known."

The King smiled softly. "Your kindness for these spirits already shows. You will make a great celestial mage one day, just like your mother and your ancestors before you."

Lucy's brow shot up. _My mother?!_ The Celestial Spirit King knew her mom? A hundred new questions flew to Lucy's mind, but the Spirit King began speaking again before she could voice any of them.

"To answer your question, I only waited for as long as I had to before leading you to Leo. Summoning a zodiac spirit requires quite a bit more magic power than summoning the other celestial spirits. You have an enormous quantity of magic stored up inside of you, old friend, _far more_ than you could possibly realize. But you had to learn how to tap into that power before you were able to safely summon a zodiac spirit." The King leaned back and placed his hands on his knees.

"I watched over your progress while you trained. You've done very well and stayed extremely dedicated. You learned rather quickly how to control your magic, faster than I thought possible for someone who had never used magic before in their entire life. Once I was sure that you were able to release enough power to summon Leo, I led you straight to him."

Lucy thought over all of this new information. She felt extremely humbled to hear him say that she had the potential to be a strong wizard, considering that was what she had hoped for in order to help the spirits and protect her friends. But she didn't _feel_ like she had a lot of magic power. Truthfully, when she had summoned Loke, it had taken _a lot_ out of her.

"But sir," She began. "When I summoned Leo, it completely drained me of energy. If I have as much magic power as you say, shouldn't I be able to at least summon a zodiac spirit without feeling that way?"

The Spirit King stroked his long mustache while he answered. "Your body had never used that much magic at once before. While your power may be exponential, your body is not quite adapted to channeling it out yet. Worry not, child, each time you summon a spirit after tonight will feel less and less strenuous as your body becomes used to it. Do not doubt that your magic power is great. I can see it now, swirling within you. It is unlike any celestial mage I have seen before."

Lucy flushed. Surely he was exaggerating? There was no way that she could be that powerful...She decided to move on to the next question, the one that had been plaguing her the most ever since she had traveled to the new world.

"Spirit King...why was I brought to Earthland? Is there a reason for _me_ specifically coming here?" She asked.

The King smiled softly. "Ah. That question is better suited for someone other than myself, I'm afraid."

Lucy's mouth popped open. _What?_ Her eyes flickered to Loke. "B-but...I thought you said that you were taking me to the person that had all of the answers." She questioned with confusion. Did this mean that she had to find yet _another_ person before actually learning the important things?

Loke sent her a sly grin. "I didn't say that the Spirit King was _that_ person. You assumed that on your own." He responded coyly.

"Th-then...who is it?" Lucy sputtered.

"That would be me." Came the voice of a girl across the table from Loke.

Lucy's head whipped around to face the stranger that had seemingly materialized out of nowhere, prepared to see another shocking appearance much like the Spirit King's.

However, the person she found herself looking at appeared to be an ordinary human, like Lucy. The girl looked even younger than her actually, with long, billowing light-blonde hair, and mesmerizing green eyes. She reminded Lucy of an angel, especially since she seemed to be faintly glowing all over her entire body. This woman emanated a very different kind of magic than the King, but still very powerful nonetheless.

"Hello." She greeted with a kind, soft voice. Her head tilted to the side with a friendly smile. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Lucy."

Lucy felt an instant and unusual connection to this person. It was almost as if she felt grateful to them, although she was positive that she had never met this stranger before in her entire life.

The girl straightened her head and peered into Lucy's eyes. "My name is Mavis Vermillion. I am the founder and first guild master of Fairy Tail."

* * *

 **MY PRECIOUS LITTLE CINNAMON ROLL IS HERE! Did anyone see that coming? I've been looking forward to introducing her since the very beginning!:D**

 **What are your thoughts? Let's hear 'em!**

 **FireShifter : hehehe, I'm happy that I was able to make your day with last chapter! When Natsu was telling Lucy how strong she was...ahhh, that was my favorite part to write! I had a smile on my face the whole time!:D Loke's one of my favorites too! I'm so excited to delve deeper into the mysteries revolving around him and the other spirits! So many ideas:) I HOPE YOU HAD A WONDERFUL NALU WEEK! It was so fantastic! And thanks so much for reviewing, as always! Xoxox**

 **SulliMike23 : tehe, you're not the only one that was surprised by Loke's appearance! I wanted people to think it would be Aquarius first! But he's definitely not the last zodiac spirit that will appear!:D**

 **arcadea333 : AHHHHH! Thank you so much! *glomps* your reviews seriously make me so happy! ^_^ that makes me really relieved to hear that you liked last chapter! I was so nervous about it because I felt like it was written a little differently than the others! But hearing you say that you want more like it makes me squeal with happiness! Haha, I'm so happy Loke is finally here! I loved the way that Lucy found his key, I had it visioned out so precisely in my head! Thanks so much for reviewing, I always get so excited when I see them:) also, we'll find out more about Ezra next chapter! I think...haha**

 **BrokenGlass12 : wahhhh, thank you so so so much! That makes me so happy! Ahhh, I was so nervous about last chapter! But I'm glad I was able to convey Lucy's feelings pretty well. I wanted people to feel her emotions clearly just like she was feeling them! I'm excited to introduce more of loke too! Yay! Thank you so much, seriously! :D**

 **Aya Rose : Oh my goodness, don't apologize at all! I seriously love it so much when you leave long, in depth reviews! It shows how much you pay attention to the small details and it makes me feel like you're really enjoying reading the story and that means so so so much to me, you have no idea! Last chapter had a lot going on, it was by far my longest chapter yet! I'm so happy Loke is finally in the story! I've been waiting so long to bring him in! I'm glad you picked up on the subtle hints about Erza. We'll find out more about her whereabouts within the next couple of chapters!:D ahh, good! Thank you so much for saying that you liked the pace of the progression between natsu and Lucy! I was hoping that I wasn't going too slow, but not too fast either! I want a nice in between:) thank you so much for your review! It makes me feel inspired to write more often and even better with each chapter! Thank you thank you thank you!**

 **Guest #1 : thank you so much, stranger! It fills me with joy to know that other people are liking the nalu fluff just like I am! Haha, I have way too much fun writing it! No shame, though. Thank you so much for your review! I'm very excited about writing Lucy's interactions with the other spirits as wel!:D**

 **ashinsky : Oh my goodness, thank you so much! Wow, you made me so happy with your kind words, thank you! It seriously fills me with so much happiness hearing things like that! I love that you think that Natsu and Lucy's relationship is written well! I really wanted to make it feel real, while also keeping them in character as much as possible! Haha making them all flustered is a lot of fun:p and I love writing the interactions with other characters of the guild because I feel like that's not features enough in a lot of fics! Wow, you made me feel so flattered, I'm gushing! Thank you to the moon and back for your wonderful review! **

**Guest #2 : ah, thank you so answering my question in your review!:D not many people read all of my ramblings, haha! Lucy's old friend was finally introduced!:D yay! Thanks so much for reading and reviewing, it makes me happy:)**

 **Cresentgenisi : ahh, first of all, thank you so much for your wonderful review! It truly made me very happy! I was nervous that people would get bored with last chapter because it was focusing more and training and growing stronger and time passing, rather than the action. So I'm really glad that you thought it was needed as well! I'm happy that the twist at the end surprised people! I wanted people to think that it would be Aquarius! There will be a reason for Loke being the first zodiac spirit:) and secondly, I'm SO SORRY that I haven't finished reading your story yet! Work has been so busy:( but I promise that I haven't forgotten, I really really want to get caught up on it and finish it, I'm so in love with the characters and the world that you've created! You're a wonderful author!^_^**

 **FTfanatic777 : wow, thank you so much! You make me blush!:D hehe, I really appreciate you saying all of that! Also, those are some awesome guesses;) I love it when people tell me what they think and their theories on everything! We'll find out soon if you're right or not!:D**

 **WOW! Thank you guys so much for the amazing and wonderful reviews! You really know how to make a girl happy! Your words mean the world to me and I cherish each and every one!**

 ** _I want to show my gratitude to you guys somehow, so I'm going to try something a little fun! Since I'm so close to 100 reviews, I want to make something special to whoever is the 100th reviewer! Either a piece of fanart, of whoever you want! It can even include multiple characters! Or I'll write you a one-shot about anything you choose:) I just want to show how appreciative I am to you guys, and this is just one way I could think of!_**

 **Let me know what you think about this chapter!:D**

 **Have a wonderful day/night lovelies!**

 **xoxoxo**

 **-Mac**

 **p.s., IS ANYONE ELSE STOKED THAT POKEMON GO IS FINALLY HERE?! I HAVE AN EEVEE THAT IS ABOUT TO EVOLVE! I'm soooo excited!:D**


	24. The King's Key

**Hello my lovely readers!**

 **First off, I am so very, very sorry for the long wait! I have had the hardest, scariest two months of my life...To keep it short and sweet, my mom found out she had a tumor in her head. We couldn't find out if it was cancerous or not until she had it surgically removed. That was two months ago. This week, on Tuesday my beautiful and strong mother had a successful surgery and finally had that sucker removed. Not only that, but yesterday we got the results back from pathology and we found out it was _BENIGN!_**

 **Oh my goodness, I have never felt such a relief in my entire life. I felt really hollow for a while because I couldn't stop thinking about the worst case scenarios. However, now I'm bursting with all of these wonderful emotions, thoughts, and feelings, but most of all; inspiration! I'm finally in the mood (and state of mind) to write again!  
**

 **Anyhowww, I'm still so thrilled with the results that I've been literally telling everybody! And I figured that I owed my faithful readers an explanation for my absence, so now you all know too:) _Miracles do happen!_ Did I mention it was the size of a golfball? IN HER HEAD! My mom is a beast^.^**

 **Man, it feels great to be back...you guys rock for sticking with me and patiently waiting for my long overdue return. Sooo, without further ado!:D _Allons-y!_**

* * *

Lucy openly gaped at the young girl before her as an image of Mavis and Makarov standing side-by-side danced in the background of her mind. _This_ woman was the founder of Fairy Tail?! What had she done, found the fountain of youth or something? By comparison, Mavis and Makarov were on completely opposite ends of the spectrum!

Lucy closed her mouth and opened it again a couple of times, hoping that words would find their way out of her consciousness and into reality. And find their way out they certainly did...though not precisely in the way she had hoped.

"Umm...Exactly how old are you, First Master?"

The moment the words escaped, Lucy clamped a hand over her traitorous lips. Really? She had been desperate to say _something_ so that she wouldn't come off as looking like a fool, and _that_ was the question she chose? Here she was, meeting the founder of the guild that she treasured so dearly and the first thing she said is something that could be seen as disrespectful!

She shot an evil look Loke's direction when his amused chuckling reached her ears.

But when another laugh joined in with Loke's, Lucy turned back around in confusion. The sound was pure and whimsical, like the chiming of bells, and Lucy felt drawn to it.

"It's okay." Mavis assured once her giggles had died off. "You have no need to feel guilty for asking that. The answer to your question may be a bit confusing though."

Lucy's brow pulled together. How could the matter of someone's age be considered confusing? Wasn't it just a number? She pondered over different possibilities, but she didn't have to wonder for long before the First revealed her answer.

"You see, biologically, my body is thirteen years old. Well, at least, that's how old I was when I stopped aging. That is why the appearance you see before you is so young. _But_ this body is also just a physical manifestation of my incorporeal spirit; I died sometime when I was in my twenty's, so you could also technically say I am around that age." Mavis tapped her chin in thought. "But that was over eighty years ago, so let's see...if I do the math right, I should be about one hundred and eighteen years old now." Mavis's hand dropped and she smiled.

Lucy was floored, yet again, by this peculiar girl. Mavis had been right; that certainly _was_ a confusing answer. But what was stranger yet was the fact that the First was smiling as if it were the most common thing in the world to be casually conversing about one's death. Or to even be talking at all when you're allegedly supposed to be _dead!_

Lucy's eyes widened. Wait a moment...So, if what Mavis was saying was true, then that would mean that...she was a ghost, right?

Suddenly a wave of sadness washed over Lucy. For whatever reason, this sweet girl had been robbed of her life. And yet she still stuck around in order to help others with theirs? Or maybe there was some reason that she couldn't move on to the next life...

The heartache Lucy was feeling must have been apparent because, after Mavis took a seat in the chair to Lucy's right, she smiled softly and said, "It's okay. Please do not feel remorse for me. I've had many years to adjust and accept my fate. I guess I'm just so comfortable and used to it now that I forget how shocking it can be to unload on someone all at once. My apologies, Lucy Heartfilia."

Her smile warmed Lucy's heart. How could someone who wasn't even alive be so kind and gentle?

"No, please," Lucy finally managed to choke out. "Don't apologize to me. _I'm_ sorry." She took a deep breath and then held out her hand while returning Mavis's smile. "Can we start over? I'm Lucy. It's an honor to meet you, First Master."

The First beamed brilliantly as she shook Lucy's hand with enthusiasm.

"The pleasure is all mine, Lucy. I've been waiting to meet you for a long time."

"So, if you don't mind my asking...is there a reason that you haven't...ya know...moved on?"

Mavis chuckled once before answering. "Well, I guess you could say that there's something tying me here. But that's a story for a different day." She smiled as she tilted her head to the side and analytically observed Lucy. "I believe you have some questions for me, do you not?"

That was all it took to redirect Lucy's focus back to the prior situation at hand. She nodded her head vigorously. "Oh, y-yes! I have tons!" Lucy's brow pulled together in thought. "I just have to figure out where to start, honestly."

"How about I just tell you the gist of things?" Mavis offered. "Then you can ask me any questions that haven't been answered."

Lucy gulped inaudibly. For some reason, she was growing nervous. A small voice inside of her was saying that after this, her life would never again be the same. But her life would already never be the same; not after stumbling upon this amazing world, with its magic, and its nature, and its people...and Fairy Tail. No, there would never be any going back for Lucy. Her life was forever changed. And she was prepared for it to change a little more.

She nodded her head once and Mavis set about telling her tale.

"This story starts with your mother, Layla." Mavis began. "She was a wonderful woman, your mom. Not only that, but she was by far the strongest celestial mage of her time. In fact, your mother was once the holder of all twelve of the zodiac keys." Mavis smiled when she saw Lucy's eyes light up, then continued. Her voice took on a perfect story-telling tone, and suddenly Lucy had delved right into the past as the tale she had been seeking finally began to unfold.

OoOoOoO

Layla Heartfilia huffed out cold breaths of air as she waddled her way down the street. She lovingly rubbed her protruding belly with a soft smile. "Moving about is becoming quite a bit troublesome, little one. You can come on out any day now." She cooed to her stomach. "Your mommy and daddy are very eager to meet you, dear."

"Lady Layla!" A familiar voice echoed through the wind.

Layla jumped at the sudden outburst and stumbled slightly before being straightened by a set of strong, gentle hands. She looked up to see a concerned face, topped with wild, orange locks of hair.

"Oh, Leo! You startled me." She breathed as she clutched a hand to her rapidly beating chest. "Goodness, I startle so easily now. I wonder if it's another one of those abnormal traits that come along with being with child."

Leo smiled down at the blonde. Once she was stable on her own two feet, he dropped his hands to his sides. "Lady Layla, what are you doing walking about the streets alone?"

"Hush, Leo. You know you can just call me Layla." She chided kindly.

Leo's grin widened. "That is besides the point, madam. What if something else had come along that gave you a fright and I hadn't been here to catch you?"

"Hush." Layla repeated as she continued her stroll, followed closely by Leo. "You and Jude are just alike, such worrywarts when it comes to me and this little one. I _am_ quite durable, you know."

Leo chuckled. "Yes, I know. But little Lucy is not."

Layla pat Leo's arm with affection. "While that may be true, I don't really have to worry, do I?" She flashed a dazzling smile. "After all, I have you and the rest of the spirits watching over me."

Leo rolled his eyes, but Layla had turned her gaze forward just in time to miss it. "Besides," She raggedly breathed as she waddled along. "Doctor's orders. He recommended walking as often as possible to help induce labor. I've already been due for a week, but it seems Lucy just isn't quite ready yet." Layla glanced down at her belly fondly. "All in due time. I feel as though she'll be here very soon."

"Well, be that as it may, the doctor should have also warned you to never wal-ah!" Leo cut his sentence off abruptly.

"Leo?" Layla turned to find that he had stopped walking altogether, and was now bent forward slightly, clutching his head.

"Leo!" She exclaimed and lurched toward the spirit. "What's happening? Are you alright?" Worry was etched all over Layla's face as her hands connected tightly to his arm.

"I'm alright." Leo breathed as he straightened up. His eyes were wide and wild, but soon that crazed look was chased away by a look of pure confusion. "I'm fine, please don't stress yourself. It was only a summons from the Spirit King. It just caught me off guard, is all."

"A summons? By the Spirit King?" Layla blinked. "Whatever for?" In all the time that she's had contracts with celestial spirits, she has never known any of them to be summoned by the king before.

Leo's brow pulled together. "I'm not sure. But he requested for you to come with me."

Layla's eyes widened in shock.

"But he's crazy if he thinks that I'm going to bring you to another realm while you're so-"

"Leo, it's alright. Let's go." Layla grasped Leo's hand reassuringly. He looked down to find her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "This has never happened! Aren't you the least bit curious?"

"But-"

"Besides, who are we to turn down a summons from the Spirit King? Let's go!" Layla urged with an eager smile.

Leo sighed. "If you insist. But if you so much as feel a squirm in there," He pointed to her big belly. "Then we are coming straight back, alright?"

Layla nodded impatiently and Leo once again rolled his eyes. "That old man had better have a good reason for this." He grumbled before he grasped onto Layla's arm and they both disappeared in a blinding, bright flash of light.

When they reappeared in an equally luminescent blaze, they were no longer on Earthland. They were in another world entirely. To say that Layla was in awe over her new unbelievable surroundings was a bit of an understatement. The usually well kept together madam of the Heartfilia Estate was gaping in amazement and smiling like a child on Christmas morning as she waddled this way and that to further observe everything around her.

"Welcome to the Spirit Realm, Layla." Leo said with a grin. He couldn't help but smile at his master's obvious glee and bewilderment.

She turned to look at him with eyes he had never seen so alive. " _This_ is your realm, Leo?" She gazed once more upon the stars and the array of planets all around them. "It's _beautiful_. I can't believe you haven't brought me here before!"

Leo's smile faltered slightly. "Well, like I said before, it isn't exactly common to receive a summons of this manner."

Layla attempted to transform her expression into one of a businesslike seriousness, but she couldn't quite extinguish the light of wonder from her eyes. "You're right. I suppose we should figure out why we've both been called here."

"I believe that we can explain that." A mysterious voice boomed loudly from behind Layla, startling her once more and resulting in Leo helping to stabilize her again.

"Layla, please try not to startle so easily..." Leo said with exasperation, but he was ignored entirely as Layla whirled around to face the stranger that had just spoken to her.

She had been prepared to interrogate, but was rendered speechless once her eyes fell upon the colossal entity that was the Spirit King.

"Actually," Came another mysterious voice, which startled Layla for the third time that day. "I'm the one who asked the Spirit King to call you both here."

"Goodness gracious, I am with child! You spirits have got to stop sneaking up on me from behind!" Layla huffed as she turned around once again.

Her eyes landed on a young girl with pastel blonde hair and mesmerizing green irises; a stark difference from Layla's previous observation of the King.

The girl smiled. "I am sorry, Layla Heartfilia. I didn't mean to startle you." The girl moved forward until she stood right before Layla. She extended a hand out. "My name is Mavis Vermillion."

Layla shook her hand without hesitation. "A pleasure, Miss Vermillion."

Mavis's smile all but disappeared. "I'm not quite sure if you'll continue to believe that."

Layla tilted her head in confusion, but Mavis continued speaking before she could say anything. "The Spirit King summoned you here that so I may ask for your help."

"My help?" Layla questioned. "Whatever for?"

"For saving Earthland from absolute destruction." Mavis spoke with a fierceness that shouldn't belong to any ordinary child. But something told Layla that this girl was no _ordinary_ child. She could feel powerful magic emanating from her.

If Earthland really was in danger, and if Layla could lend a hand in protecting it, then she knew what she had to say next. She would protect her home in any way she could. Because it was not only her home; it was the home of her friends, the home of her husband, and the home of her unborn child...Yes, she definitely knew what she had to say.

"What can I do to be of assistance, Mavis? Tell me everything. I'll do all that is within my power." Layla paused and looked down at her round belly. "The only thing that I ask is that we wait until my child is born. I will not put her in harms way." She said lovingly as she rubbed circles on her stomach. "But she should be here any day now. You won't have to wait long."

Layla lifted her gaze up from her belly just in time to see Mavis and the Spirit King exchange a look.

"Actually…" Mavis began somewhat tentatively. "Layla, we believe that we may require the help of your daughter. That is the true reason why we have called you here today."

Layla's brow raised. "I beg your pardon?" She laughed hesitantly. "My daughter? I-I don't understand…"

Mavis smiled softly. "Of course, I'm sorry. I know that this is all very confusing. Please allow me to start from the beginning."

Layla nods once, thoroughly discombobulated.

Mavis took in a deep breath. "You see…there is a man…a wizard actually. He is known in this region as the Black Mage."

"Zeref." Layla filled in knowingly. "Yes, I've heard of him. There are very few who haven't."

Mavis stared at Layla silently for a moment. "You say his name without fear. Not many people that have heard of him can do that."

"What use is there for fear but to cripple and weaken one's mind?" Layla responded.

Mavis nodded. Her eyes seemed distant, as if in her head she was far off in another place and time. "Right. Well, it seems that he has awakened. Or rather, he's come out of hiding. And he seems to be planning something terrible, though I can't quite figure out what." Mavis's brow pulled together and she suddenly appeared very frustrated. "I've been trailing him for months and he still hasn't let slip a single piece of information when I've been around! It's almost like he can tell I'm there…" Mavis trailed off before shaking her head furiously. "But that's impossible!"

Leo snorted. "Perhaps the problem is that you're overestimating your spying skills." He offered sarcastically.

Mavis slowly lifted her head to meet Loke's gaze. "Oh, I have no doubt that my sleuthing dexterity would be terrible, but that's not what I meant." Mavis paused to glance between Layla and Leo. "I'm dead." She said flatly. "On Earthland I can only be seen by wizards bearing my guild's crest. And I can assure you, Zeref does not bear any guilds crest, let alone Fairy Tail's, therefore it should be impossible for him to detect me." Mavis paused and tilted her head. "However, those rules don't apply here because this is the Spirit Realm, hence the reason I requested having this meeting in this location. That is why you both are able to communicate with me now."

Leo swallowed loudly and cleared his throat. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"

"It's quite alright." Mavis interrupted with a smile. "It's understandable to question everything that I'm telling you. I had anticipated some doubt."

"I-I'm sorry, Mavis, about everything. But I still don't understand." Layla admitted uneasily. "What does whatever Zeref is planning have to do with me and my daughter?"

Mavis's eyes softened immediately. "Of course. You'll have to forgive me, I tend to get a little sidetracked easily." She worked her face into a focused expression and continued. "Well, after following Zeref for a couple more weeks I was able to gather that he had people working under him. They were powerful beings, extraordinary even. But they were not good." Mavis's voice darkened. "They were gathering strange substances and objects; it seemed as though they were building something for Zeref. Whatever their operation is, they're doing an excellent job of keeping it under wraps. I began to have a very, very bad feeling, so I sought out help from others. Which lead me here, to the Spirit King." Mavis gestured behind her to the immense entity. "I explained everything to the best of my abilities, and the King agreed to lend me his help, if possible. That is when the King looked upon the stars for guidance. It was that same night that the prophecy was made."

Leo inhaled sharply. " _What?!_ "

Layla jumped at his exclamation. She looked at him with a mixture of confusion and concern. "Leo, I don't understand. What's wrong? What does that mean?"

Leo continued to stare at the King and Mavis in disbelief. "You can't be serious?" He questioned with wide eyes.

"Leo the Lion, leader of the twelve zodiac spirits," The Spirit King addressed. "When have you ever known the guidance of the stars to be taken lightly? She is serious, old friend."

Layla clasped ahold of Leo's sleeve. "Leo, what is going on? What are they talking about?" She begged.

Leo stared silently at the King's austere expression for another moment before answering. "The King is a very powerful spirit for many reasons. One of those reasons being his ability to call upon the universe for answers in times of need."

"W-what?" Layla mumbled, still confused.

Leo finally looked down to meet her anxious gaze. He placed his hand over top of hers in an attempt to soothe her before he began explaining. "There are stars scattered about _every_ galaxy in _every_ corner of _every_ universe in _every_ period of time. Just imagine it. Think of the stars that you see so clearly in the night sky on Earthland. They look like they just go on forever, right? Well, they do. They're infinite."

Layla nodded to show that she was following him so far.

"Each and every one these stars collect information as they observe and watch over us. To put it simply, the King has the inconceivable ability to communicate with them, to ask them questions regarding the past, present, and future. Almost like accessing an all-knowing database." Layla's eyes rounded with shock. "However, it's very, _very_ rare for them to answer." Leo shook his head with disbelief.

"Why?" Layla inquired nervously.

"There are fixed moments in time and space that aren't to be meddled with or they could tear a hole in the very fabric of reality. The stars risk doing this any time that they respond to the King's request for knowledge or assistance, therefore they rarely ever answer." Leo finished.

Layla's eyes remained wide as she turned to once again face the Spirit King and Mavis. "So, you're saying…the stars responded this time…and they suggested that my daughter was the solution to this problem?" A nervous giggle bubbled up through her throat. "You can't be serious. H-how is this even possible? How can you speak to every star in the universe all at once? If they're as many stars as you say there are, then that should take you decades- centuries even! This all sounds impossible."

Mavis cocked her head to the side as she regarded Layla calmly. "In the world that you live in, do you truly believe anything to be impossible?"

Layla was beginning to grow frustrated; she blamed it on the hormones. "No, I don't believe so." She begrudgingly admitted. "But that doesn't explain how-"

"I am able to with this." The King interjected. He pointed a finger towards Layla and a ball of light appeared in front of her.

She shielded her eyes until the blinding light began to fade. A small, solitary key was left floating in it's wake, rotating in circles right before Layla's eyes. It was somewhat transparent, and sparkled with what seemed to be it's own little galaxy right there within it.

"The object before you is the explanation for how I am able to communicate with them all at once." The King continued as Layla stared at it in amazement and wonder.

"We call it the King's Key." Leo informed. "It was forged in heavenly fire by the Spirit King himself. When you said that it would take decades to communicate with every star in existence, you were right. It _would_ take that long if this key didn't exist. Once the King had it forged, it was sent through all of space and time collecting knowledge from every star that ever has or ever will exist. Many years passed before the key made it's way back to the King. It took no time to discover that it's potential went above and beyond just allowing the King to communicate with the universe. It can open doorways that transport the user to any world, any time, any dimension…"

Layla breathed out in awe. "That's…that's incredible." She murmured, mesmerized by the object. She reached forward to grasp the key, only for it to vanish just as quickly as it had appeared.

"And also very dangerous." Leo added. "You must never let anyone, not even Jude, become aware of it's existence, Layla."

As soon as the key was out of her sight, Layla's head began to clear. "You have my word." She whispered as her mind started to race a mile a minute. Her eyes sought out the King. "If all of which you have said is true, then what is it that the universe told you when you requested guidance?"

The Spirit King recited the prophecy in a monotonous, eerie tone, sending a chill down Layla's spine. "'The time for mankind to fall is upon Earthland. There is but one with the power to withstand the flames necessary to vanquish the Black Mage; The child born from the holder of the twelve keys. With the power of all of the stars, spirits, and universes combined, the child may lay waste to the imminent demise of the world; but be warned, the power comes at a grave price, for the great demons they face will bring darkness and despair.'"

Silence filled the air once the prophecy reached it's conclusion. Layla stared blankly at the Spirit King as the absence of sound stretched out for minutes on end. Finally, she let out a halfhearted laugh. "Well, I certainly feel better now. You see, there are quite a few flaws in that prophecy of yours."

"Layla…I-" Leo began quietly.

"For one," She continued as if he hadn't spoken. "I don't even own all twelve zodiac keys! Tell them, Leo. Tell them I only possess ten of..them…" Her voice trailed off when she got a look of Leo's face.

He looked panicked, sad, and a little bit angry all at once. Overall, it was an expression of defeat. He had given in to that ridiculous prophecy and Layla was completely thrown off guard.

"You can't be serious? You actually believe that, Leo?"

"Layla-" He tried again, but was once more interrupted.

"No, it's not true! Why do you look like that? Why do you look like you believe them?" She demanded .

Leo's face fell. "Layla, I know how it-"

"You know how it what? How it sounds? Because it sounds absurd! She's my baby, Leo! My _unborn_ baby!" She turned to angrily face Mavis and the Spirit King. "How can any of you honestly expect me to believe in this? It's not even possible, I _don't_ have all twelve spirits in my possession."

Mavis wore a look very similar to Leo's and it only seemed to upset Layla even more. They were looking at her as if she were a fragile child that would break if they weren't too careful. "We know that this is hard to hear…but you are the first person to come so close to inheriting all twelve zodiac keys in many years. We believe that it is only a matter of time before-"

"All twelve keys will not come to me. I happen to know of someone who possesses one of the two keys that I do not, and she loves her spirit. She would never willingly give her up. So I am sorry, but this prophecy has nothing to do with me or my daughter!" Layla took a few deep breaths after realizing that her voice had risen. "Perhaps," She began once her heart rate had calmed. "Perhaps the prophecy was wrong. Or maybe it will come true many years in the future, concerning someone else entirely. But I assure you, this has nothing to do with me."

Mavis continued to stare at Layla sadly. "Whom are you trying to convince that to, Layla Heartfilia; yourself or us?"

Anger flared deep within Layla's chest. "Leo, I want to go home." She seethed.

"Layla, please, if we could just-"

"No, I want to return home _now_."

"Layla-"

"LEO, TAKE ME HOME!"

Leo looked pained by the outburst. She had never once taken that kind of tone with him, in all the time they had been together. "As you wish, Lady Layla." He agreed solemnly and held out his arm for her to grasp onto.

They immediately began to glow the moment she weaved her arm through his. Layla turned to meet Mavis's eyes at the last second before they were gone. "Looks like I won't be able to lend my assistance after all. I do hope that you find your solution, Mavis Vermillion, but it definitely is not my daughter."

As soon as the last word left her lips, the Spirit Realm disappeared. Moments later, they were back on Earthland, in the exact spot they stood in before they left.

"Layla, I know that this is confusing and hard to hear, but if we just listen I'm sure there is a way they can help us. A way they can help _her_."

"I am not confused, Leo. The prophecy was made about someone else. They only _assumed_ that it was about my daughter, and they assumed incorrectly."

"Please, just-"

"We will not speak of this night to anyone, do you understand? In exchange for me keeping silent about the King's Key, you will keep silent about this entire encounter."

Leo's expression became stony. "Funny. Now you're finally beginning to sound like someone fit to be married to Jude." He stated bitterly before disappearing in a puff of smoke, returning to his own dimension.

Once the smoke had cleared, Layla finally let the tears fall down her cheeks. She despised herself for speaking to Leo in that manner, but if it meant to protect Lucy, she was sure that there was little she wouldn't do. Sobs silently racked through her chest as she replayed the events in her mind over and over again until, suddenly, she was in pain. The pain confused her greatly, sending her into fresh panic. It wasn't until she heard the sound of liquid softly hitting the ground between her feet that she understood exactly what the pain meant. It was time. As if now filled with purpose, little Lucy was finally ready to come into the world.

Later that very same evening a beautiful, healthy baby girl was born.

OoOoOoO

It wasn't until Mavis took a moment to catch her breath, therefore pausing the story of Layla's past, that Lucy realized her mouth had been hanging open the entire time.

Now that she was in the present, she had a moment to fully absorb everything that Mavis had explained so far. First, the information about the World Key- which she now knew to be called the King's Key -was mind boggling. The small item that she wore around her neck daily just so happened to be one of the most secret, powerful objects that has ever been known to exist. It was almost too much to comprehend!

Then there was the matter of the prophecy…She'd be lying if she said that she wasn't at least a bit concerned about that piece of information. Maybe not just a 'bit' concerned; _very_ concerned. To be honest, she was actually really frightened. But she pushed her fears into the far recess of her mind for the time being. She still had to hear the rest of the story, now was _not_ the time for a full on panic attack.

Then there was the fact that her mother had denied her assistance in helping to _save the world_. There was a sick feeling growing in the pit of Lucy's stomach…she felt as though she knew exactly where this story was going, and she dreaded to hear the ending. She had never known her mother to back down from anything; it was as if she knew no fear. But this was different. She had backed down.

"Loke." Lucy gasped, quickly rotating around to face the orange-haired spirit. "I'm so sorry. The way she spoke to you…and threatening you like that-that's just…that's not what she's really like and-"

"I know." Loke interrupted with a smile. "It's in the past. I worked with your mom for many years as one of her spirits. She was kind. One of the kindest people I've ever had the pleasure of meeting, actually."

This wasn't good enough for Lucy. Her brows pulled together in concern. "I know, but she still shouldn't have-"

"The fear of losing a loved one puts a lot of stress on a person. It can make people say things that they don't actually mean, and act without thinking of the consequences." Mavis interjected. "Everything that your mom did was out of love for you- to protect you. We hold no blame to her for that."

"Besides," Loke said with a cheeky smile. "You're here now. It all worked out eventually."

Lucy held his gaze for a moment, searching for any sign of hurt. When she found none, she sighed and turned once more to Mavis. "So what happened after that?"

Mavis, who had been kicking her dangling legs to and fro, straightened up and smiled before she continued the story. "I watched over you and your mom from there on. Being on Earthland meant that I could make sure you both were safe without being seen or detected. The morning after you were born, a package arrived on your parent's doorstep. It was a congratulatory gift for your mother from some of your father's employees. Inside was a single golden key, bringing Layla's collection of zodiac spirits to eleven. Still in denial, she chalked it up as being pure coincidence and pretended not to think anything of it in front of Leo."

Lucy shivered. She could only imagine her mom's true worry when she had opened that box. "Many months passed by in peace after that." Mavis went on. "You grew and blossomed, and your mom tried to erase the meeting in the Spirit Realm from her mind. She felt at ease knowing that the twelfth zodiac key was in her friend's possession. She was able to convince herself that her collection would never become complete so long as her friend never intended on giving her spirit up. All was well for a year or so. You and your mother lived in a period of perfect happiness. All the way up until Layla received a letter that completely shattered that facade and brought all of her doubts and worries crashing down on her."

"W-what was in the letter?" Lucy whispered.

"A copy of the will left by your mother's friend." Mavis revealed sadly. "She had passed away in some horrible accident. In the event that something of the sort ever happened, she made sure to specify that she wanted her rare treasure to go to her friend, Layla, whom she knew would treasure it just as much as she did."

"The twelfth zodiac key..." Lucy quietly filled in the blank. The look in Mavis's eyes told her that her guess was correct.

There was a moment of silence before Mavis began to speak again. "Once Layla's collection was complete, she began to panic. It was at that time that she asked Leo to bring her here to meet with us once more."

Lucy glanced back at Loke to gauge his reaction. When he only sent her a flirtatious smile and a wink, she rolled her eyes and faced the First again.

"When we met with your mom the second time, she seemed desperate. She was scared now that all twelve keys had gathered under her hand. She was hoping that there had been some change to the prophecy in recent years; the future is always changing, you know." Lucy nodded and Mavis went on. "When we informed her that it hadn't changed, she grew silent and contemplative. I informed her of the latest information regarding Zeref and his group of followers, which now go by the name of Tartaros."

Goosebumps spread like cold fire down Lucy's arms. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end just from hearing the name. "Yeah, I know a bit about them myself." She mumbled.

Mavis's expression saddened. "Yes, I know. I'm sorry. We were hoping that you would be able to meet with us before ever hearing about them, let alone encountering them! Apparently their celestial magic tracking system is far more advanced than I calculated. I failed you, I'm sorry." The First's head dropped in shame.

Lucy was startled. Was it just her imagination, or were there tears pooling in the young girl's eyes? "U-um...First?" She questioned hesitantly.

She heard a little sniffle. "I-I'm fine! I'm not crying, I'm not!" But her face, however, definitely said otherwise. When Mavis lifted her eyes to meet Lucy's, a steady stream of tears were flowing down each of her cheeks from her big, doe eyes.

Lucy was distraught; she was stuck in the middle of choosing between giggling over how adorable the First was, or stressing over what the best way to immediately comfort her would be.

"W-wait! It wasn't your fault at all! It's solely the fault of those assholes for kidnapping me! You couldn't have done anything about that!" Lucy shouted a bit too loudly in her nervousness. Her eyes widened when the realization of what she had just said hit her. _I just cussed in front of the First Master. Put a sock in it, Lucy!_ She thought to herself with mortification. How much more could her stupid mouth possibly betray her today?

But contrary to her worries, Mavis's reaction was not at all what Lucy expected...The First shot her head up and revealed bright, green eyes filled with tenacious determination. "That's right!" She shouted. "I will not allow my mistake to derail me! My calculations will not fail me twice; Fairy Tail will _take those assholes_ _down!_ " She declared, mimicking Lucy's word choice as she threw her small little fist up in the air.

This time Lucy had no choice but to let a tiny giggle to escape. The First's war-cry just proved to be too cute to not allow herself to chuckle just a bit.

"Easy, First Master." Loke joked. "Let's not get too riled up before the battle has even begun."

"Right." Mavis stated, coming back to her senses. She settled back into her seat once she'd calmed down. "Right, sorry."

Loke laughed and nudged Lucy with his elbow. "You can tell where the rest of the guild gets it from, huh?"

Lucy smiled. He was right. The First was filled with a genuine, fiery passion and a kind heart. If this is what Fairy Tail was founded on, then it's no wonder that the guild turned out so amazing. Or rather, that the mages a part of it turned out so amazing.

"Anyhow," Mavis continued. "We tried to explain to Layla the severity of what the prophecy entailed. Without her, and you, Earthland was facing annihilation, but your mom desparately wanted to prevent your involvement. She offered to sacrifice every last drop of her magic power if it meant using hers to stop Zeref rather than yours. It wasn't until the king explained that prophecies can't be tricked or cheated that Layla seemed to cave in defeat."

"She asked what there was that could be done to prepare you; if there was a way to increase your power and ensure your safety. There was only one thing we could think of; The King's Key."

"So," Lucy interrupted apologetically. "The part in the prophecy talking about using the power of the universes and stars...That's referring to the World-er, the King's Key, isn't it?"

Mavis nodded fervently. "That is what we believe." Her eyes flashed to the other two spirits before returning to Lucy's. "So the Spirit King began to teach your mom how to use it. You see, only worthy celestial wizards with very strong celestial magic power are able to use the key, and even then they can only just barely tap in to it's true potential. The only being able to fully use the key is the Spirit King. Humans can, however, use the key to open doorways to different places and dimensions. Your mom diligently trained for months on end, swearing to master the use of the key so that she could in turn train _you_ how to use it. Eventually, the Spirit King decided to allow Layla to take the key home to you. He declared that she had trained hard and there was nothing left that he could teach her; now she could only teach you as you grew older. She swore to do whatever it took to make sure you were as safe as you could possibly be." Mavis paused and took a deep breath.

"It was that night that you and Layla disappeared from Earthland altogether, along with half of the Heartfilia Estate's store of gold. Not a trace of either of you was to be found. Not a clue left as to where you went. Only a note with instructions to disperse your keys among good, caring homes. Rumors spread but no one on Earthland truly knew what had happened. _We_ figured it out right away. She only ever wanted to keep you safe, Lucy, so she did the only thing that she thought was possible. She packed up a few bags, and she took you far away. To a place you've come to know as 'Earth'."

Lucy's nausea grew as her suspicions were confirmed, but Mavis continued on. "As you grew into a fine young woman over there, things grew slightly worse on Earthland. Celestial mages began to vanish at an increasingly alarming rate; it could no longer be written off as pure 'coincidence'. Spirits were being ripped away from their owners and imprisoned in strange, dangerous places, for reasons that we still can't quite comprehend. We made preparations for your return, just on the off chance that it ever happened. I knew that I wouldn't be able to personally greet you, so we asked the stars to make sure that the key would bring you to my guild. I asked Leo to join Fairy Tail, so that he would be there waiting for you should you ever come back. But it was only a matter of time before he was kidnapped and imprisoned as well." Mavis looked apologetically towards Leo.

"Thanks again for the save, by the way." Loke said to Lucy with a smile, but she was in her own world.

"I can't believe Mom didn't bring us back…all of the pain and suffering…I would have at least tried to help prevent some of it." Lucy breathed.

"Once she committed that act of betrayal to her homeland, the King's Key deemed her unworthy to use it ever again. Without the use of the key, you and her were trapped in a new world, unable to ever travel back to Earthland. That is, until Layla gifted the key to you on your eighteenth birthday."

Lucy crossed her arms over her stomach in an attempt to chase away her queasiness. Her mind was spinning in a direction that she did not want to head towards, but it appeared that there was no stopping it.

"You see, although you and your mother left Earthland together, you were much too young to know what was going on. Therefore, the key still considered you worthy of it's use." Mavis smiled.

Lucy's head lowered. "So what you're saying is that if my mom had never, on a whim, decided to give me that key to me on my birthday, then I would have never even come here?"

Mavis's grin faltered. "Well, that's-"

"And I would still be in the dark about all of this. I would never have known. Because she sure wouldn't have told me…Eighteen years passed and not even the slightest hint of who I really am had been given to me."

Mavis reached forward and placed a hand on Lucy's shoulder. "She only wanted to protect you and prevent you from living a life filled with fear. She only did what she thought was right."

Lucy's head snapped up. "And abandoning all of you is what she thought was _right?_ No wonder the King's Key found her unworthy after that. I think that makes her a lot more than just _unworthy_. Maybe she should have let _me_ decide what life I got to live rather than choosing it for me."

Mavis stared at her, speechless. It seemed that Lucy's reaction was another thing that she hadn't calculated.

The sound of a chair being pushed back reached Lucy's ears, but didn't quite register in her mind until Loke was suddenly kneeling in front of her. He placed his hands on either side of her face, rendering it impossible for her to look away. "Listen. Your mother was, no, _is_ a wonderful person. But she was scared. And like Mavis said, fear makes you do stupid, reckless things without thinking of the damage those actions can cause. Don't let that hasty decision cloud your view of the woman you know. The woman who raised you, and cared for you, and loved you. Without her, you would not be the Lucy that you are today. She may have made a mistake, but it was made out of nothing but love. If I was going to make any mistake, I would like to make it for that reason, wouldn't you?"

Loke smiled kindly as his words sunk in to Lucy's heart. She still had a lot that she had to think about, but for the time being, he was right. Her erratic heartbeat began to slow and her mind was cleared of it's red fog. "Thank you, Loke. I think I needed that."

He flashed a crooked smile. "Anytime, princess."

Lucy returned a grin. "Why do you call me that? Princess seems a little...I don't know, snobbish." She asked curiously.

Loke shrugged. "It's what your mother used to call you when you were little. I guess it just caught on with some of us spirits."

Lucy nodded, then lifted an eyebrow. "You know you can let go of my face now, right?"

"I know. But you're just so gorgeous."

Lucy rolled her eyes dramatically. Loke laughed and gave her cheeks a playful pat before rising and returning to his chair.

"So," Lucy began, trying to remember where Mavis's story had left off. "The night of my birthday then. What happened?"

The First grinned happily and continued her tale. "Of course. Well, the moment that your mother gave you the key, the stars contacted the Spirit King to inform him that the key was finally in your possession. It was that night that the King spoke with you for the first time through your dreams. When you awoke from that dream and grasped onto the key, it teleported you back home to Earthland, where it knew that you were needed."

Lucy smiled as she recalled that experience all too clearly.

"The Spirit King asked the key to teleport you straight to Fairy Tail, upon my request. You grew up in an entirely different world, but I knew that if there was any place that would take you in and help you adapt, it was Fairy Tail." The First Master beamed proudly.

Lucy couldn't stop her smile from growing. "You were definitely right to do so. They've treated me like one of their own ever since I first arrived." A thought popped into Lucy's head. "But there is one thing that concerns me…I wasn't brought straight to Fairy Tail when I first got to Earthland. I was dropped off in a field; the guild was nowhere in sight. Is it possible that the key malfunctioned?"

"That is impossible." The Spirit King responded. "You wound up at Fairy Tail eventually, did you not? The stars led you there regardless of whether or not you were taken there right away, old friend. Perhaps they foretold that there was a better way for you to become acquainted with the guild, and they took you down that route instead."

Lucy thought back to her first encounter with a Fairy Tail wizard. That fiery weirdo sure gave her a fright, that was for sure. But the Spirit King was right. She wouldn't want to change the way she was introduced to Earthland for any other way. She smiled as she silently thanked the stars for leading her to Natsu Dragneel.

Mavis continued speaking, pulling Lucy out of her thoughts. "After you were brought to Earthland it was only a matter of time before you were able to be brought here so that we could finally meet like this." The First paused. "And now that you're here, we have but one question for you. Lucy Heartfilia, you owe nothing to this world or to any of it's inhabitants. We want you to know that you have a choice in this matter. What we're asking of you will be dangerous, to degrees that we can't even begin to predict. And I know that it's not fair of us to take you away from your life and ask you to possibly-"

"Please, Mavis," Lucy interrupted kindly. "Before you say anything else, let me just say that you're wrong…about me not owing anyone anything here. I feel the exact opposite actually. I owe you all so much. Thanks to you, and to Natsu, and to Fairy Tail, I feel like my _real_ life has finally began. I'm no longer living a life based on a lie, based on betrayal and abandonment. I will never get back the time that I lost here, but thanks to you all I can spend the rest of my time getting to know the person that I _truly_ am. I owe you my life, because that's what you have returned to me. I love Earthland. I love Fairy Tail. And I will do anything that I can to protect it, so you don't even need to ask." She finished with a soft, yet sincere smile.

The Spirit King was grinning his toothy grin once more and Mavis was looking at Lucy as if she had never been more proud of someone. "See?" The First beamed up at the King. "She's Fairy Tail material, through and through!"

"But," Lucy hesitated. "There's only one thing I want to do first."

Everyone grew silent as they waited for her to continue.

"I want to go home to my mom, to let her know that I'm alright." Lucy twiddled with her fingers nervously. "She's bound to be worried sick about me…I may not agree with the things that she has done, but she's my mom…I don't want her to worry about me any more than she has to."

The silence drug on for another second before the Spirit King smiled once more. "Very well. I will explain how to use the King's Key."

* * *

 **Yay! Finally, a new chapter, and it's been my longest one so far!**

 **Again, I'm sorry for the long wait! But you won't have to worry about that any more! Also, I already have most of the next chapter written, so it will be out within the next couple of days!**

 **I REALLY enjoyed writing the flashback scene with Layla! It was my favorite part about this chapter. Also, just in case anyone was wondering why Loke/Leo seemed a little OOC in the flashback, it's because his master (Layla) was from a really wealthy, classy estate. The Heartfilia's are treated somewhat like royalty, so they speak very proper. Remember when we first met Virgo? She was a completely different person! But when her key was given to Lucy, she changed to fit her personality. So I kept that in mind with Loke/Leo here in this flashback, therefore his speech is more proper, to match Layla's:)**

 **Anyways, we found out a ton of information! What are your thoughts? Any questions?:D I wanna hear them! Especially after not talking to any of you for so long!**

 **SulliMike23 : Hello again! It's been awhile!:D I've been really excited to release this chapter, and I hope that I was able to answer your question about Mavis and Lucy;) **

**aidansidhe : Ohhh, I know! Poor Natsu:( I'm on your side! D: Am I allowed to say that even though I'm the writer? T^T Buttt, I don't plan to have Loke be a hated character in this story! Although he is definitely a dick at times:P **

**BrokenGlass12 : Ohhhh myyyy lordddd, I have been a Pokemon Go fool! It does suck about the rural areas though! I live in KY, most of my state feels like the middle of nowhere! T^T But you are very true, it's still fun nonetheless!:D I'm glad that Mavis was a surprise! Yes! That's what I wanted!:D The little cinnamon roll, I love her so muchhh. **

**Aya Rose : Hello there friend! It's been too long! T^T It feels good to be writing to you again! Rereading your review makes me so freaking happy, jdbjsybgoaerfl! I love jealous Natsu too, even when he doesn't realize he's jealous! He's just all around really fun to write!:D I'm glad that everyone was thrown off by the Spirit King and Mavis appearing together! I really wanted to surprise/catch readers off guard:) I have soooo much planned for where this story is going. Buckle up, it's going to be one hell of a ride:) Wow! Once again I'm blown away with your theories! We now know that you were right about a few things; Layla is definitely from Earthland and she left because of Lucy and her power (in order to keep her safe) rather than because of her asshat dad. I'm sorry for answering questions with more questions! I really hope that this chapter fills in some pretty major blanks! Thank you so much for your reviews, they always fill me with happiness! And I love your feedback! If someone is hoping to become a writer, then feedback is essential to growth! Your responses always make me want to do better!:D Also, I know that you weren't the 100th reviewer, but that doesn't mean that I can't write or draw something for you!:D I really, truly would love to! I'm always taking requests^.^**

 **ashinsky : Ohhhh, I knowww! I love Mavis! She's just a little cinnamon roll and she's perfect ^.^ I can't wait to get more into her backstory in the future chapters! There will be angst T^T But it shall be worth it! Hehehe, is it evil of me to love writing jealous Natsu? Mwahaha! Just kidding, but I do think he's adorable when he's jealous:) And you're definitely right, Lucy isn't in to Loke! I'm glad that you like the progression of things! I feel like it makes it seem more real too! And it keeps it true to their slowly progressing relationship in the manga! I'm so nervous for what's going to happen to them in the series! Oh lorddd. But thank you so much for your reviews, as usual! I absolutely love them and I love that you enjoy my responses too! I always try to give a response back to my reviews that show that I am listening to what you all have to say and really really appreciating it all! It means a lot to me! :) Thank you again!  
**

 **arcadea333 : Hahaha, I love jealous Natsu! It makes me sad that he isn't in this chapter! But we will see a lotttt of him next chapter!:D HAHAHA, I completely forgot about the Spirit King being called mustache face in the series. I definitely will have to put that in here later!  
**

 **guest #1 : Thank you so much! I really wanted to make something that would intrigue people, so it means a lot to hear that:)  
**

 **carnatiously : Oh my gosh, thank you so much! I'm sorry that I was on such a long hiatus right after you said something so nice about my story! T^T But I'm back! And not going anywhere!:D Thank you for your patience and for your incredibly sweet review, it made me smile so much! Ahhhh, wow! I'm gushing! You're so great! Thank you!  
**

 **FireShifter : Hehehe, I'm finally back! Thank you for waiting for me!:D Tehehe, Natsu can't help but feel jealous when it comes to Lucy. I don't blame him, she's awesome^.^ I know, I hated leaving Natsu behind, but I think you'll really enjoy next chapter for certain reasons! (wink, wink). I love writing the Spirit King! He's awesome! And yessssss! I couldn't wait to introduce Mavis! The cute little cinnamon roll! Again, thank you for sticking by my said and awaiting this new chapter! I hope you liked it:) The next one is almost ready to come out!  
**

 **Guest #2 : Your wish is my command! Sort of...Sorry this took so long! T^T  
**

 **EchizenRyoma : Thank you so much! We'll just have to see about Lucy's future powers;) And CONGRATS ON BEING THE 100TH REVIEWER! I'm sorry that it's taken me so long to write your one-shot, but I am back in business and I will have it for you very soon!:D  
**

 **Kamalxoxo : Ahhh, hello! Thank you so much! You're great! :D And here you are, my dear! I hope you enjoyed!  
**

 **Wow, you guys are so awesome! You make me feel wonderful about writing and make me want to do more and more! I'm already plotting out ideas for a new story, but I'm determined to finish this one before starting another!**

 **Anyways, I'm glad to be back! Let me know what you think:)  
I miss you guys!**

 **Have a wonderful night/day!**

 **Xoxoxo**

 **-Mac**


	25. Days Gone By

**Wow! Twenty five chapters! I can't believe we've come this far!:D Also, this story is now over 100K words! I'm pretty mind blown, holy cow...**

 **Anyways, thank you guys for sticking with me throughout this story ^_^ You're the best!**

 **Also, thank you for all the well-wishes for my mom! It really means a lot to me! She's doing wonderful right now:) Recovery has been great for her!**

 **And nowww, please enjoy _CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE!_**

* * *

By dawn, Natsu had stuffed his belly full and had nothing to do but sit and wait, very impatiently, for Loke to bring Lucy back to the guild. After the first fifteen minutes of waiting, he was already fuming. Loke was __not__ going to hear the end of this once they returned, Natsu was certain of that.

Needless to say, everyone was completely shocked once the dragon slayer finished recalling the events that had played out in the forest. The confusing truth about Loke's identity as a zodiac spirit had many of the guild members puzzled. Fairy Tail discussed the matter amongst themselves for __hours__ while Natsu silently fumed at the bar. He was quickly regretting even bringing it up; hearing Loke's name every twenty seconds was not helping his irritable mood in the least.

 _ _Come on,__ Natsu groaned inwardly as he collapsed against the bar top. __What's taking so long?__ Having the keen senses that he did wasn't making him feel any better either. It only meant that he was able to hear more of the thoughts and speculations his fellow guild members had about the smug, four-eyed player and Lucy. Oh, how he wanted to knock the glasses right off that ginger.

He turned his head to the side and glared at nothing in particular as a conversation from across the hall reached his ears.

"I can't believe Loke was really a celestial spirit all along." A voice sounding suspiciously like Macao whispered.

"Yeah, well, he always seemed a little off. I mean, __seriously__ , how is it that he always got all the girls while we get none?" Wakaba murmured back before he tsked. "Must be a spirit thing."

Natsu rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. All I know is he's gettin' his ass kicked when they get back tonight." He grumbled to himself.

The day went on and the guild began to clear out so everyone could get ready for the rainbow sakura festival. A few members attempted to get Natsu to come join in on the festivities, but he declined. He knew that Lucy wouldn't want to miss the viewing, so he wanted to be at the guild when she got back so he could take her there. Surely she'd be back in time to make it…

But as the day turned into night and the guild completely emptied, Natsu was left alone with his angry, somewhat nervous thoughts. He grew more restless with each star that made itself visible in the ink black sky. What was taking so long? Where had Loke taken her?

It was nearly two o'clock in the morning when someone finally opened the guild doors, and Natsu jolted up from almost dozing off on the counter. He spun around, but found that it was only Mira returning from the festival. She walked behind the bar and regarded Natsu uncertainly. The guild was completely empty, aside from Natsu, Mira, and a sleeping Happy. The whole day had come and gone, and Lucy still wasn't back yet…

The white-haired bartender sighed.

"Go on home, Natsu. You've been here since dawn." She said delicately as she reached across the bar to gently pat his hand.

He opened his mouth to protest but was quickly cut off by a very stern look. "Ah, ah, no buts. Look at you." She frowned at him. "How are you going to give Loke a piece of your mind when you can barely even sit up straight? It's been a long day, Natsu, and you need to sleep."

The dragon slayer once again attempted to refuse but was just as quickly shut down the second time. "That was an order, not a request. Go." When Natsu crossed his arms in stubborn defiance, Mira's expression softened and she smiled warmly. "Besides, I really don't think Happy is too comfortable sleeping on this hard countertop, do you? He won't leave unless you do. He didn't even come to the festival tonight because he stayed by your side. Go get some rest. I'll send for you when they get here."

Natsu knew that she had a point, even if he didn't like it. He pushed himself off of the bar stool and scooped Happy up into his arms in a daze. He began making his way to the door in a slouch, lazily waving goodbye to Mira in the process.

"Come get me as soon as you see them." He yawned before finally exiting the guild.

The breeze carried luminescent cheery blossoms through the air, and Natsu only absentmindedly pondered what it would have been like to experience the festival with Lucy and everyone else. He wondered if he should have attended after all, considering Lucy hadn't actually come back to the guild... _ _Oh well,__ he thought blearily. Nothing to do about it now.

Natsu stumbled his way home in a sleepy stupor. It was a wonder he even remembered the way to his house in his drowsy state of mind. He wasn't even entirely positive if he made it into the right abode, but he didn't really care at this point. The one thing he __did__ know for sure was that Loke was __so__ dead when Natsu finally saw him again.

After dropping Happy onto the sofa, Natsu shuffled across the room and collapsed into his hammock. The moment his head hit the pillow, he immediately fell into a deep, snore-filled slumber, with dreams of broken glasses and golden hair accompanying him through the night.

That was how the first day of Lucy's absence ended.

To Natsu's dismay, the second day passed in much the same fashion, only this time Natsu was quite literally __steaming__ with fury. Smoke poured out his nose and mouth and anytime Loke's name was mentioned, the heat level around the dragon slayer would spike significantly.

When Gray placed his hand on Natsu's shoulder in an attempt to reassure him, the ice mage wound up with a scalded palm.

"Gray-sama, your hand!" Juvia had freaked out, of course. "Ice! We need ice! Juvia will get you some right away!"

As the water mage ran off to the kitchen, Gray shook his head in disbelief. "She must be so panicked she forgot that I basically __am__ my own ice pack." He rolled his eyes skyward before looking at Natsu.

The dragon slayer was resting his head on his crossed arms, leaning over the bar top in the same seat he had been in yesterday. He continued to glare at the wall even though he knew Gray was staring at him. "What?" He finally snapped. "I didn't mean to burn you, but ya shouldn't'a just grabbed me like-"

"That doesn't matter, I'm fine." Gray cut him off. "Look, man. I get that you're worried about her. But Loke's not going to let her get hurt. They'll be back soon."

Natsu snorted but otherwise didn't say anything.

"I'm just sayin'…When she gets back I'm sure she'd rather see you smiling than see you like this." Gray stated earnestly, then walked away to find Juvia before she had a heart attack over his minor burn.

 _ _Hmph__ , Natsu thought. __I must look worse than I thought if the ice princess is showin' concern.__ He knew that he should probably calm down a bit and not be so angry…but again, right now he didn't really care.

In fact, Natsu only seemed to do the opposite as the day went on. Everyone began to speak in soothing, calm tones around the fire mage in order to try to raise his spirits, but their words only managed to irritate him even more; it didn't matter how much they assured him that Lucy was safe, or how Loke wouldn't let anything happen to her, or how they'd be back that night __for sure__. None of that mattered to Natsu at all because she __wasn't__ there and they __didn't__ know for sure. And __not__ knowing was what was bothering him the most.

It bothered him even more when night came and she still hadn't returned to the guild.

The third day of Lucy's absence began to stir up more people's emotions than just Natsu's; although he was still by far the most concerned.

By dawn, Master had decided to send out a search party. The possibility arose that Lucy and Loke could have been captured by Tartaros or Jude Heartfilia. Fairy Tail couldn't sit still when they weren't entirely sure what had happened, and the fact that Erza still hadn't returned yet either unsettled everyone even more.

A small team set out to hopefully find their three missing comrades. Mira attempted to coax Natsu into joining them on their search, but he refused. He wanted to remain at the guild on the off chance that Lucy arrived while the rest were out looking; mostly so that he could pummel Loke into the ground the moment he saw him.

The search team was given a communication lacrima crystal to contact the guild the moment they found something out. Mira decided to place the other lacrima on the bar top so that it was visible for those who were left in the guild to see at all times. However, she soon regret that decision due to Natsu glaring venomous daggers at the object every few minutes.

Things only continued to spiral downward as the day went by without so much as a spark from the crystal.

The fourth day of Lucy's absence resulted in Natsu being forced out of the guild. Only temporarily, of course.

He was in such a state that his heat and flames were a bit out of control. He scalded, melted, and/or burned almost everything that he touched. It got worse when he happened to hear a quiet conversation from the back of the guild hall.

"Yeah, well, it might not even __be__ anything. Who's to say that the little bunny girl didn't just go home? Wasn't she tryin' to do that in the first place?"

Natsu's back grew rigid. He straightened up and turned to scrutinize the two that were conversing. Gajeel was leaning back carelessly in a chair next to Levy, who was quickly flipping through pages of a text on zodiac spirits, presumably trying to find out more information about Loke; or rather, Leo.

Levy scoffed at the iron dragon slayer. " _ _Gajeel__ , seriously. Lu wouldn't just up and leave without saying anything to anyone, much less without saying anything to Natsu." She glared sideways at him before returning to her book. "Besides, she has people here that she wants to protect and fight for. This past month she's been training her butt off to do just that. We don't mean so little to her that she would just leave the moment she could."

Gajeel crossed his arms. "Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, shrimp. I'm just sayin' it's a possibility."

Finally Levy closed her book with a sigh and turned to look at him full on. "Oh yeah? If you really thought that nothing was wrong, then why wouldn't you let me go out and join the search team?"

It seemed she'd hit the nail on the head, because Gajeel only blanched before launching into some drawn out story about why Levy should stay at the guild to be there for the blondie when she finally got back, but Natsu saw right through him. Gajeel wasn't an idiot; he knew something was going on. And if Tartaros actually had kidnapped Lucy __and__ Erza, then there was no way he was letting Levy put herself at risk next, not if there was anything he could do about it.

" _ _Natsu!__ " Master yelled furiously, distracting Natsu from the rest of Levy and Gajeel's conversation. "I've rebuilt this guild too many damn times for you to go destroying it again!"

When the fire mage only looked at him in confusion, Makarov growled, "Your hands, boy!"

Natsu looked down with a start. He hadn't realized that he'd been clenching onto the bar top, and it wasn't until the aroma of burning wood registered in his nose that he realized what Master was upset about.

Where his hands had been on the bar were now two identical scorched, smoking holes.

"I think it's best for you to go get some air, Natsu. You've been cooped up in here for too long." Makarov's tone made it clear that Natsu didn't have a choice in the matter.

When the dragon slayer only blankly stared at him, Master's expression softened, despite his anger. "Don't worry, son. We'll figure everything out. Go out on a short day job, get your mind off things, blow off some steam. Just do it somewhere that __doesn't__ endanger my guild, alright? I'll come find you the moment we learn something new."

Natsu nodded sullenly and rose without a word. He left the guild without argument but rather than taking Master's advice, he returned to his house where he fell face first into his hammock. Suddenly, lethargy overcame him and he decided that he just wanted to sleep. So that he did; he slept the entire rest of the day away.

After a whole week had passed since Lucy's absence, Happy was finally able to convince Natsu to go out on a job.

At first Natsu, of course, stubbornly attempted to refuse until Happy held the job flier up in his face. It was the monster hunting request that Lucy had asked Mira to hold onto; the one with a silver celestial key as a reward.

"Mira said that she couldn't keep holding it any longer. __Some__ one has to do it, ya know? I figured maybe we should, since we could just give Lucy the key when she gets back." Happy flew nervously in front of his best friend as Natsu contemplated.

Natsu had a feeling that Mira and Happy planned this together behind Natsu's back. Probably to get Natsu out of the house, since everyone seemed to think that that was the best solution for him right now. __Sneaky,__ he thought with distaste as he eyed the flier. Finally, he sighed. He may have caught on to their plan, but it still worked nonetheless.

Reluctantly, Natsu accepted the job. It was only on Mt. Hakobe which wasn't very far, and hunting monsters was easy for the dragon slayer, so it shouldn't take longer than a day to complete. And if Lucy __did__ return while he was gone, then he could make up for his absence by giving her the key, right?

Happy was ecstatic to have his friend finally out with him again. As they flew through the air, Natsu talked more than he had in an entire week and he began to think that maybe getting out wasn't such a bad idea after all; it was just the matter of actually forcing himself to do it that was the hard part. He hadn't truly realized how much of a slump he'd been in until that moment.

The duo finished their job in a breeze. The monsters turned out to be vulcans once again wreaking havoc. They were relatively easy to defeat though, considering they'd already dealt with Natsu in the past and were somewhat terrified of him.

Once the pair collected their reward from the farmers that were being terrorized, they began their journey back to Magnolia. Natsu was definitely in higher spirits than he had been in a while, and he was able to joke along with Happy the entire trek back.

It wasn't until they had just returned to the windy outskirts of town that Natsu suddenly stopped and tensed up. Happy, who hadn't been expecting Natsu's abrupt stop, flew straight into his back.

"Natsu?" The exceed questioned from the ground where he had fallen.

Natsu didn't even hear him. He was completely and utterly distracted. The breeze that blew full-force against his face carried a scent along with it that Natsu knew very well. A scent that had been absent from Magnolia for an entire week.

His dark green eyes widened as he sharply inhaled. The aroma of cherry blossoms and sage filled his nostrils and suddenly he was moving. Without even thinking, his feet carried him forward at a speed he didn't know he was possible of attaining.

The little exceed couldn't even keep up with Natsu's velocity, and he quickly fell behind in his attempt to chase after the dragon slayer.

Natsu flew through town. He made it to the guild in record time and nearly barreled right over a distraught Levy.

"N-Natsu!" She cried the moment she recognized him.

He was in such a daze that he almost ran around her to bust through the guild doors, but Levy's next words broke him out of his trance.

"It's Lucy! She-she's here, she's back, but…" Levy looked frazzled and upset, as if she didn't know what to do.

Natsu walked up and gently placed his hands on her shoulders to calm her down. "What is it, Levy? What happened?" He asked in a surprisingly soothing tone.

"She-she said she's leaving. Now. She's going home! I-I don't really under-"

"Where is she?" Natsu cut her off quickly.

"I-I don't really know, I think she went that way." Levy pointed into the woods, towards Happy and Natsu's home. "But she told me to-"

Natsu didn't stay to hear the rest of what Levy was saying. He didn't have time. With a burst of speed he tore through the forest. Lucy was back. Levy had seen her. She was so close to him. And now she was going to disappear right in front of his face again? It was like he could feel her slipping through his fingers once more.

 _ _No__. He wouldn't let that happen a second time.

His house came into view and a moment later he burst through the door to find Lucy holding the World Key out in front of her; she was already beginning to glow and Natsu knew all too well what that meant was about to happen.

Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw him.

"Nats-ooph!" Breath escaped her as his body collided full-force with hers and the pair went flying backwards just in time for the light to completely envelop them both. Natsu's house filled with a blinding flash.

Once it faded away, neither one of them were anywhere to be found.

OoOoOoO

"You've got this, princess. You're going to do great." Loke smiled encouragingly at Lucy.

Still, she couldn't quite shake her doubt and nervousness. They had explained how to use the King's Key perfectly, but since she had left it beside her bed at Natsu's house she hadn't been able to actually __practice__ using it. "Are you sure? You guys said that mom had to train for weeks to get it right…"

Mavis shook her head. "That's because the King's Key didn't recognize her as it's owner. She was allowed to learn how to wield it so that she could teach __you__ how to use it. The key chose you, Lucy. It will work with you."

"Just remember what we taught you, you'll be fine." Loke reemphasized.

"It is simple, old friend." The Spirit King spoke with confidence. "You will see once you try."

Lucy took in a deep breath. "Okay." She exhaled. "Okay, I'm ready. Let's do this. Send me back."

Her newly acquainted friends all beamed at her.

"Take your time with your mom. We will be preparing everything for when you come back." Mavis grinned.

"It was a pleasure, old friend." The Spirit King smiled. "Until we meet again." He bowed his large head towards her.

Lucy thanked them earnestly before turning to Loke.

He grabbed her hand and gingerly placed a kiss right on top of it.

"Loke." She exasperatedly chided with a roll of her eyes.

He winked before turning her hand over to place his golden zodiac key into her palm. "I'm sending you back alone. I'll be staying here a little longer to help map out the locations of the rest of the keys. Once that's done, I'll return to Fairy Tail to fill everyone in on all that's happened. In the meantime, you have my key." He smiled. "If you need anything, call me. I'll come right away."

When he released her hand, she held on tightly to the little key. "Got it." She returned his smile. "I'm ready."

"Of course you are." He grinned widely. "We'll see you soon, Lucy."

With that said, he pointed at her and she began to glow. She knew this meant that she was about to be traveling back to Earthland.

Just as she was about to disappear, Loke's eyes widened. "Oh, one last thing! Time runs a bit different on this dimension than it does on Earthland."

Lucy looked puzzled. "What does that mean?" But before she could find out, the spirit realm was gone.

Her heart began to accelerate. This was it. She was actually going to be going home. She was finally going to see her mother again, even if it was only temporarily. There was so much that she wanted to say; so much that she wanted to ask. She didn't know where she would begin…

When the bright light around her faded, she found herself face to face with Fairy Tail. The guild stood tall and strong, beckoning her to go inside and immerse herself amongst everyone once more.

But right now, she was on a mission. Her mom was waiting on her, as she had been for a long time. She turned towards the direction of Natsu's house and took one step forward when she heard a voice come from behind her.

" _ _Lucy?__ " They asked incredulously.

The blonde swirled around to find Levy staring at her with wide eyes. It was like the bluenette was seeing a ghost. She uncertainly stepped towards Lucy and reached out a hand. "Lu, it's actually you. What- how- no, where-"

Lucy forced a smile before interrupting her. "I'm sorry, Lev. I can't talk right now. I have to go."

Levy stopped in her advancement towards her friend. "Go? W-wait, what do you mean?" She shook her head. "You just got back, right?"

"I'm going home, Lev. I have to go see my mom." Lucy began walking backwards. "Tell everyone in the guild I'm sorry. I'll explain everything whenever I get back, okay? There's no time right now."

Without waiting for Levy's response, she turned on her heel and ran through the woods. She felt bad leaving her friend without an explanation, but she'd be back soon and she promised herself that she'd make it up to Levy. Maybe she'd bring her an armful of books from Earth. Lucy smiled at the thought. __Yeah, she'd like that.__

When Lucy arrived at Natsu's house, she flew straight to the spot where she had left her necklace of keys. She quickly unclasped the chain and exchanged Loke's key for the King's Key. She placed the necklace around her neck, closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

In her mind she recalled the lessons that the Spirit King had given her.

 _"_ _ _When you hold the key, you will feel a tingling sensation begin in the palm of your hand. Focus on it. Allow the key's magic to spread from your palm and flow throughout your entire body. You will know when you're ready. Once the magic is circulating throughout your entire being, simply tell the key where it is that you would like to go. This is vital to your transportation. The key will take you there, but only if you're absolutely focused on where it is that you're going. Once the stars have pinpointed your desired location, the key will begin to radiate and warm up. Light will encompass you and then you will be teleported through a doorway connecting you straight to your destination."__

Lucy opened her eyes. She could do this. It was time.

She grasped the King's Key in her hand and felt the familiar tingles shoot up her palm. She imagined forcing that feeling to spread up her arm, through her chest, and all throughout her body. It didn't take long for the key to comply; soon her body was filling up with the strangest sensation. It was as if she could feel __light__ and __warmth__ spreading through her veins and it felt amazing.

Just as the Spirit King had said, she knew she was ready. The magic coursed through her entire body and soul. She felt as though the key was coaxing her to continue; almost like a soft, wispy voice spoke through her mind. _ _Well? Where would you like to go?__

 _ _Aright, Lucy. Focus.__ She thought of Earth. She pictured her home in her mind, clear as day. She could see it so perfectly; could imagine her mom opening the front door with a huge smile on her face.

The key began to heat up. It was working. Lucy was certain that she had done it right. She continued thinking about her home, focusing on it's exact location. The key started to glow. This was it. She was about to leave.

And then her focus came crashing down all around her. The door burst open and Natsu stormed inside. __What?__ Her eyes widened.

"Nats-ooph!" He slammed into her, knocking the air out of her as they flew backwards together.

Lucy only had a split second to panic before the bright light completely surrounded both her and Natsu and they were thrown through a doorway leading to another world entirely.

OoOoOoO

Lucy's second time through the 'rabbit hole' was just like the first. Bright colors blurred past her at an ungodly speed, creating a colorful illusion of a tunnel. The only difference with this experience was that it was over a lot faster the second time around. The Spirit King had mentioned that the key would allow her to travel faster once she actually learned how to use it.

Before she knew it, the tunnel came to an end. Both her and Natsu were deposited from the rabbit hole, which immediately closed afterwards, and they hit the ground __hard__. The unexpected impact caused them to topple over and roll across the soft grass a couple of times until they came to a dizzying halt.

When Lucy finally managed to catch her breath, she shot up to her knees in pure panic.

"Natsu, __what__ are you doing here?!" Her eyes were wild as she looked around, hoping to find her house close by. However, her hopes were immediately dashed when she realized that she didn't recognize __any__ of her surroundings. It appeared that they had been dumped in a large field, speckled with wild flowers. Off in the distance, she could make out a city, but not one that looked familiar to her at all.

Her stomach twisted in fear. She had lost her focus the moment she'd seen Natsu. Who knows where the key had taken them! It definitely wasn't the location she'd been hoping for. And not only that, but __Natsu was there too.__ If they really were on Earth, then he'd stick out like a sore thumb!

"Ughh." Was Natsu's only response from his curled up position on the ground. The rocky landing must have made him motion sick. Or maybe traveling through the rabbit hole had, Lucy wasn't quite sure. He shakily pushed himself to his knees with a groan.

Lucy continued to panic. "Oh God, do you even know where you are?" Her hands flew to her head where she twisted her fingers in her hair. "No, you can't know that, __I__ don't even know where we are!" She looked around once more, desperately hoping to find something familiar that would identify their location. "Ohh, Natsu, what were you __thinking__ when you-"

Without warning, Natsu was right in front of her. He grasped onto her shoulders and suddenly his eyes were all that she could see. They held a lot of unspoken emotions in them and they completely mesmerized her; sadness, relief, happiness, hurt and a little bit of anger all swam together in his olive green irises. Her panic was momentarily forgot as she stared into them. "What do you mean what am __I__ thinking? What are __you__ thinking, Lucy?!"

Lucy froze, eyes wide as saucers.

Natsu continued. "You disappeared to Mavis knows where with __Loke__. You were gone for an entire __week__ without so much as a word to let anyone know you were alright. Then you come back, just to turn around and leave again without even saying goodbye to me? Or to anyone? Dammit, Luce, I was really worried about you, okay?"

 _ _A week?!__ Sothat's what Loke had meant when he said that time ran differently in the two dimensions? What felt like a mere hour to Lucy had actually been __days__ for Natsu. No wonder Levy had looked so freaked out when she saw her…And no wonder Natsu was as worked up as he is right now.

Lucy's mouth opened and closed. She couldn't form the right words to say. She hadn't meant to put him through any of that...she felt immensely guilty for it, even though she had no idea. She'd only intended to travel to Earth alone so that she could tell her mom she was okay and come right back. But Natsu probably thought that she was trying to leave Earthland for good, without saying bye to any of their comrades, or to __him__.

Natsu watched her as she struggled to find her voice. He took a moment to take a couple of deep breaths before looking into her eyes once more.

"Natsu…I-I.." She stuttered, hoping to explain everything that had happened but she didn't know where to begin.

Natsu sighed and closed his eyes. "Look..." He began. "I __know__ you can take care of yourself and do things on your own, I've seen how strong you are. So it's not like I doubt you or anything." His hands slid down her arms and came to a stop when they were grasped around her elbows. "It's only…I just…" He leaned forward until his forehead was resting against her shoulder. Lucy flushed as her eyes widened even further, which she didn't think was possible. "I kinda thought we were __a team__. So…if ya wanna do things by yourself from now on, it's fine. Just tell me, okay? And at least let me know you're alright."

Lucy's eyes began to water. "No." She whispered. No, this wasn't right. He wasn't supposed to think __any__ of this. It was absurd. She would never want that! "No." She repeated before placing her hands on either side of his face and lifting gently until he was looking at her once more. "We _ _are__ a team, Natsu. I'm __so__ sorry." Her voice cracked and her arms moved of their own accord as they wrapped around Natsu's neck and pulled him tightly against her in an embrace.

"This has all been a big misunderstanding and I'm so sorry for __all__ of it. I didn't mean to worry you, or make you feel any of that, Natsu. I'll explain everything to you, just _ _please__ don't think we're not a team, because we __are__." She pulled back just enough to look at Natsu again. His eyes were wide, staring very intently into her own.

She felt her face warm from that intense gaze, but she continued. "A-and…I don't want that at all. To do things on my own, I mean. I wouldn't ever want to do that when I could do them with __you__. After all, things are always more fun when we're together." She smiled hesitantly, silently praying that that he would forgive her.

Was it just her imagination or were Natsu's cheeks a little red? She shook off that thought and nervously awaited his reaction. He blinked once. A simple "Oh" was all he was able to come up with for a moment. Then he smiled faintly. "Oh." He repeated. "Well then. Um. Good."

Lucy couldn't help the giggle that escaped from watching his dumbstruck reaction. He clearly hadn't been expecting her response to be anything like that at all.

Natsu melted at the sound of her laugh and was able to finally relax his tense muscles. His big, sharp-toothed grin plastered itself onto his face. It had been too long since he'd heard her laugh. __Or__ speak. __Or__ seen her smile. __Or__ seen her in general. His weirdo alien best friend was back and, from the sounds of it, it didn't seem like she'd be __really__ leaving him-er, Fairy Tail anytime soon.

Speaking of leaving…Natsu finally took a good look around their current location. "So, uhh. Where are we, Luce?" Natsu asked in a completely carefree tone.

And just like that, Lucy's stomach dropped once more.

* * *

 **Voila! I really liked writing this chapter. I'VE BEEN WAITING TO SEND NATSU AND LUCY TO A DIFFERENT WORLD TOGETHER SINCE THE VERY BEGINNING! YAYYY!**

 **I hope everyone enjoyed this bit of fluff at the end ^_^ yay, NaLu reunited!**

 **Any questions? What'd you guys think?:D I can't wait to hear from you!**

 **aidansidhe : No, no, I completelyy agree with you! I've read fics that literally drag out the jealousy and the 'does she/he like me' bit for over 50 chapters and it literally makes me want to pull my hair out with frustration! I promise there will be no love triangles in this story! Loke's just too big of a flirt for his own good in the series, so I tried to convey that side of him here in this story as well. BUT, I'm with you on all that:) I promise!**

 **CelestialLunaPanda-Senpai : Hahaha, Thank you so much! Your review made me really happy! You're very very sweet to say that about my mom! I really appreciate it and so does she! That means a lot to me:) Ahaha, and then your review only got better when you talked about your pink fluffy unicorn! Hahaha, I laughed so hard at that! OH NO! NOT THE PINK FLUFFY UNICORN! I'm afraid I have no choice but to continue writing then if I hope to avoid being tickled to death ^_^ Thank you so much!**

 **SulliMike23 : Ahhh, thank you, thank you!:D I always love the questions that you come up with. It's interesting to read what people are curious about at the end of each chapter:) Unfortunately, I didn't answer either of those questions in this chapter! But the one concerning Layla will be answered very soon!:D**

 **arcadea333 : AHHHH YAYYY! I KNOWW, IT'S SO GOOD TO BE BACK! T^T I was away far too long! I'm sorry for such a long delay! But oh my goshhh, I literally snorted and choked on laughter when I read your review! Ahaha, I told my mom that one my friends online said that fanfiction royalty was made in her womb and she got a kick out of it too! Hahaha, that was so great. You're so awesome! Thank you a hundred times for your review, and every review you leave for that matter! And I'm glad I'm able to throw in some plot twists to surprise you!;D**

 **FireShifter : hehehe, thank you for reviewing! I'm glad you feel that way about Layla! That's exactly the kind of emotions I was hoping to convey about her. A mixture of resentment for her abandoning Earthland, but also a bit of compassion because she was scared for her daughter and only wanted to keep her safe more than anything. Also, we'll find out more about Jude veryyyy soon! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!:D YAY NALU! And omg, yes, I loveee writing Loke and Mavis! I really enjoy both of their characters a lot so it makes me really happy to hear you say that their personalities were captured well! THANKYOUUUU **

**FranFranWriter : Ahhh, THANK YOU SO MUCH! You're awesome!:D I'm so happy that you started my story, and I can't wait for you to catch up to everything so I can hear what you think!:D Hehehe, I love Natsu's sassiness! He's such a smartass in the actual series, and I think people forget that sometimes, so I'm glad to hear that someone else enjoys his antics^_^ Thank you for reading! I really hope you enjoy the rest!:D**

 **You guys are so awesome, as usual! You fill me with joy! ^_^ Here's to you all! *cheers***

 **Thanks for reading and be sure to tell me what you think!**

 **Also, I really need an editor T^T just an FYI in case anyone is interested!**

 **Have a wonderful night!**

 **XOXOXOXO**

 **-Mac**


	26. Vanishing Act

**Hello to all you beautiful souls!:D**

 **Chapter Twenty Six is here! And filled with lots of fluff for the shipper madness that we've all found ourselves wrapped up in!**

 **But really though, can we just talk about the canon verse for a second? I won't give anything away just in case any of my readers aren't caught up with the manga yet, but I NEEd to talk about this BeCAUSE HOLY SHIT, IT'S HAPPENING, EVERYBODY STAY CALM! ACTUALLY, SCRATCH THAT, RUN AROUND AND SCREAM BECAUSE OH MY GLOBBB, I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S ACTUALLY HAPPENING! AHHHHHHHHHHHH!**

 **Okay, rant over...T^T I'm still a bit shell shocked as you can tell...but no matter what happens, we'll get through it together!**

 **And nowww, please enjoy!**

* * *

"Luce."

The voice hardly registered with her as she continued to gnaw on her lip.

"Lucy."

The voice was persistent, but so was she. Her anxious pacing didn't even falter.

" _Lucy!_ "

Strong hands grasped her shoulders as the owner of the voice lost patience. She was suddenly twirled around and Natsu's face filled her entire field of vision. "Geez, would ya stop moving for just a second so you can explain to me what's wrong?"

After a few more moments of senseless panicking, Natsu's words seemed to finally reach her. She took a deep breath and forced her eyes to focus on his dark green ones rather than constantly scanning their unknown whereabouts.

When Lucy exhaled, her story came out in a rush. She explained everything that had happened from the moment she had left Natsu's side in the forest, to the moment they were reunited in his house. Natsu remained surprisingly silent throughout her recounter, only narrowing his eyes slightly whenever Loke's name was mentioned.

"-Everything was supposed to go just fine, nice and easy, a quick trip to my moms and back. And then _you_ come storming in with your, well-er, _yourself_." She gestured towards him from top to bottom. "Then _you_ threw yourself at me, and I was immediately distracted from everything else, _obviously_. And, of course, that had to happen right when I was supposed to concentrate the _most_ on where we were traveling to. So now, thanks to that I have no idea where we are!" As soon as the final sentence of her story ended Lucy moved to start nervously pacing again, only to be stopped once more by Natsu's firm grip.

"Okay, so, _first of all,_ " He began arrogantly as he pulled Lucy back to the ground beside him with ease. She huffed but he continued with a sly smirk. "I didn't realize that I was so _obviously_ distracting to you."

Lucy froze. She felt a furious blush creep up her cheeks and immediately she knew she should _not_ have said that. "That's not what I-"

"Secondly," Natsu continued with a smile. "All that stuff about you and the King's Key; super cool." His eyes lit up like a child's on Christmas morning. "Sounds like you and your alien powers are going to be a part of somethin' big." Natsu's hands curled into fists and burst to flames with excitement. "Which means that we need to train a _lot_ more when we get home to get ready for some awesome fights!"

Lucy raised a brow. "We?" She questioned reluctantly.

"Well, duh." Natsu scoffed as he folded his arms. "You think I'm going to let you have all the fun by yourself?"

Lucy laughed. "No, I don't. It's just…you're not going to try to talk me out of it?"

Natsu blinked at her. "Why would I?" He asked as he tilted his head in confusion.

Lucy looked down at her lap. "I don't know. I guess I'm afraid of people reacting like my mom did. She clearly didn't think I could handle _any_ of this."

For a moment, Natsu didn't say anything. She peeked up through her eyelashes to find him scratching the back of his head, searching for the right words to say. "Lucy," He began slowly. "What your mother did was to protect you. And I get that." He paused and turned to look at her. "But it was wrong. I would never willingly leave a comrade behind; definitely not an entire _world_ of people. And if I know anything about you, it's the fact that you wouldn't either."

Lucy fully lifted her head to meet his gaze.

"So no, I'm not going to try and talk you out of it. And you don't have to be afraid of my reaction, because I _know_ that you can handle _all_ of this. Just because we don't know what's ahead of us doesn't mean that it's going to be impossible. It'll be dangerous, yeah, but you won't be alone through any of it." Natsu grinned widely with determination. "I'll protect you _without_ running away. That's a promise."

Just a few words from Natsu was all it took to fill Lucy with buzzing warmth and a deep relief flooded through her. Maybe she had been afraid that Natsu wouldn't want any part of the impending danger. Or maybe she had been afraid that he would grow tired of constantly protecting her. But she realized with a smile that those fears had been foolish. She knew Natsu. And he would always keep her safe. He'd do whatever it took to keep anyone safe. He didn't even need to ask questions, or know all of the information; what she told him was enough for him to jump on board without hesitation. She probably could have told him even less and he still would have stood behind her.

Luck really was on her side the day that their fates intertwined.

"How about we protect each other, kay?" She smiled as she wiped her eyes. "That way I don't sound too much like a damsel in distress."

"Damsel?" Natsu questioned. "Psh, yeah, right. Do you realize who's training you? There's no way you could ever be a damsel with a trainer like that." Natsu joked with a haughty, proud look as he puffed out his chest.

Lucy giggled at his silliness before playing along. "You're right, I'm sorry. How could I ever forget my master, the great Natsu Dragneel?" She mockingly bowed before him.

Natsu stroked his chin in thought. "Hmm…'master'. I kind of like the sound of that. Say it again."

"In your dreams." Lucy responded and stuck out her tongue.

Natsu grinned before taking another look around. "Anyway, so now that I know what's going on…why don't'cha just try it again? Using the key, I mean. If you use it, you can take us to your moms house, right?" Natsu glanced at her from the corner of his eyes. "I promise not to _distract_ you this time." He smiled crookedly, eyes full of mischief.

Yikes. Lucy swallowed and looked away before her cheeks could grow any more red. "I-I don't think I can. At least not until my magic has replenished itself. The King's Key is a _really_ powerful object; it took just about all of my magic to use it once."

Lucy knew as much the moment that they had exited the rabbit hole. As soon as her feet had hit the ground, wave after wave of lethargy wracked through her body. In the beginning it was easy to overlook due to her adrenaline and blood rushing thanks to the events with Natsu. Now that her heart has calmed down, however, her languor was growing harder to ignore.

"Loke warned me that it would probably be like that. This key isn't meant for mere humans to use, after all. and he was right." Her shoulders slumped. "I feel exhausted." Lucy seemed to fully realize it as she said it. Fatigue coursed through her body, threatening to pull her under, but she fought through it; barely.

Natsu nodded to show he understood. "Well," He said as he rose to his feet and brushed off his pants. He squinted into the distance. "I see a city over there. Shouldn't be too far of a walk." He grinned as he held a hand down to help Lucy stand as well.

"I say we head that way and find you somethin' to eat. Nothin' like a good meal to help restore energy and magic." Natsu was practically drooling at the very thought of food.

"The city would also give us an idea as to where we are. Hmm." Lucy worriedly chewed on her lower lip as she contemplated their options. "It probably wouldn't be a bad idea to do that, but…" She looked him up and down. "There's no way we'd be able to seamlessly blend into the crowd with the way you're dressed."

"Oi, what's that s'posed to mean?" He huffed. "I have great fashion sense, thank you very much."

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Yeah, _maybe_ on Earthland. On Earth, you just look like a weirdo." She teased with a smug smile.

"Oh, yeah?" He lifted a brow. "Then what do you look like in those clothes?"

Lucy blanched when she looked down and remembered that she was still wearing the clothing that she had received from the celestial spirit realm. No wonder she was so cold…her outfit did little to cover her body.

Lucy wrapped her arms around herself and groaned. "I guess if anyone asks we can just say we're cosplaying." She said sullenly, not happy in the slightest with the prospect of walking around in a city full of people in such an attire.

Natsu cocked his head to the side. "What's cosplay?"

Lucy smacked herself on the forehead and rubbed a hand down her face exasperatedly. "I'll explain a few things on the way. Just let me do the talking when we get there, okay?"

The blonde silently pondered whether Natsu being with her would make things a little harder than they would have been if she had come alone. He didn't know much about Earth at all, plus he had the small little tendency to burst into flames if he got even a little bit excited. That could cause them a lot of problems if seen by the wrong person…or _any_ person for that matter.

And yet, the fact that he was there, right by her side, in _her_ world, had her heart inexplicably racing faster than it ever had before. If she was being totally honest with herself, she was extremely thrilled to have him with her on Earth, despite the potential risk he posed of exposing magic to the world.

She shook away the thought and the duo began their trek towards the city. She decided to inform him as much as she could about life on Earth. Lucy told him all about her world and its people along the way. She talked about their ways, their cities, their cultures, and the big differences from Earthland; just as he had done for her the very first day they met when they were on their way to Fairy Tail. She smiled at the memory and pushed through her grogginess for as long as she could, hoping that she would at least make it to the city before she could finally rest.

It felt like no time, though, for her depletion of magic to really start taking it's toll on Lucy. Her feet began to feel like they were full of lead as they slowly trudged along, and each gulp of air she took seemed more shallow than the last. It was like she was running a marathon even though in actuality she was only walking, and slowly at that.

Natsu was very patient with the frequent stops they had to make for her to catch her breath; he even started coming up with fake excuses to stop just so she could take a break when she was too stubborn to do it herself.

"Lucy! Do you smell that?" He eagerly asked as he came to a halt to look around.

She paused and wiped her forehead. "No, what is it?" She answered between breaths.

She watched with amusement while Natsu crawled on all fours through the grass, sniffing the air like a dog. "A ha!" He shouted in victory when he came upon a shrubby looking bush with tiny white blooms. "This is it!"

He snatched up a couple and ran them over to her. "Here. Smell them now?"

She did, and she knew exactly what they were. "This is honeysuckle." She informed knowingly and proceeded to pluck out the center of a bloom and suck the dew drop of honey off it. She did the same thing with the other small flowers and held them out for Natsu to enjoy himself.

Then she remembered something. Lucy raised a brow. "Natsu, don't you have a ton of this stuff growing outside around your house?"

He cracked a sheepish grin as he discarded the empty blossoms and licked his fingers clean of all honey. "Hm, I guess so. I just wondered if it would taste the same here."

Then why'd he act like he didn't know what they were? Lucy eyed him for a moment, but let it go.

They ventured on for a while longer until Lucy began to wheeze a bit from overexertion again.

"Ooh, what's that over there?" Natsu asked as he pulled Lucy to a stop.

She leaned against him and gratefully took in a few ragged, deep breaths as she squinted to find what he was pointing at. "That's a butterfly, Natsu. Those are on Earthland too…"

"Oh. Thought it looked different." He shrugged nonchalantly, but didn't continue walking until Lucy took the first step forward.

Ten minutes later. "Hang on a sec, Luce." Natsu said as he dropped to his knee.

"What's wrong?" She asked, already out of breath _again_.

"Nothin'. Just gotta tie my shoe real quick."

Lucy stared at him. "Natsu…you're wearing sandals."

"Oh." He grinned up at her from the ground. "You're right. I forgot."

Lucy graciously, although sluggishly, returned his smile. Her knees were beginning to buckle from the walk, and she knew she had to take advantage of their current stop. "Well, while you're tying your pretend shoe, I might as well sit down for a minute." She was already sinking to the grass before she had even finished her sentence.

Natsu chuckled, but otherwise didn't say anything. Lucy scooted closer until their backs were pressing up against one another. She was feeling very grateful for Natsu at the moment; not that she wasn't _always_ grateful for him. But right now, even more so. He was always looking out for her, no matter what they were doing. He seemed to know when she needed breaks better than even _she_ knew.

Magic deprivation _sucked_.

Lucy let out a sigh. "Don't think for a second that I don't know what you're doing, mister."

She felt his laughter vibrate through her back. "I don't know what you're talkin' about."

"Mmhm." She let her eyelids slowly close while she rested against him. "Funny how all these excuses to stop keep coming from you right as soon as I start breathing a little heavy."

Natsu didn't say anything and she only leaned into him further. "Still. Thanks." She mumbled blearily. "Just gonna…rest my eyes for a sec, 'kay?"

Lucy thought that Natsu might have responded that time, but she was already too far gone to make out a single word.

 _Suddenly, it was night. The sky was filled with billions of stars that set light to the world, but they weren't the only thing that gave illumination to Lucy's surroundings. All around her were hundreds of different colored cherry blossoms, fluttering along the breeze._

 _She watched in awe as the petals swirled through the air. It was surreal; by far one of the most beautiful things she'd ever seen. She wanted to share her excitement and her hands subconsciously reached out to the grasp the arm of the person next to her._

 _Huh? Had she been leaning her head against someone's shoulder this whole time? She hadn't realized it until that very moment…but who was it?_

 _Slowly, her head lifted from where it had been snugly resting and her eyes sought out the face of the stranger beside her._

 _A familiar smile, her_ favorite _smile, greeted her first; sharp canines fully exposed in a wide grin. She took in his slanted, olive green eyes next. No matter where they were or what they were doing, those eyes always seemed to pierce right through her, straight into the very depths of her being. Lastly, to top it off, the unruly, pink locks of hair that carelessly stuck out in every direction, adding to the overall wild appearance of the boy beside her._

 _A boy that was currently leaning his face towards hers as his eyelids fluttered closed._

"Ah!" Lucy immediately jolted awake with a vicious start. Her heart was beating erratically, slamming against her chest in an attempt to escape. The dream flashed through her mind and she felt all of the blood in her body rush to her face. No way, nuh uh, she was _not_ about to allow herself to start having dreams like _that!_ And with her best friend, no less!

When did she even fall asleep? For how long? And why was she so _warm_ right now?

It was then that she noticed that she was moving. Well, technically, _she_ wasn't moving. But Natsu was, and Lucy realized in that moment that she was draped over his very warm, very toned back.

"Eep." She squeaked as her face filled with heat once more.

"You okay back there?" Natsu called back to her. He didn't seem out of breath even in the slightest by carrying her for _who knows how long_.

"Mhm, yup, yeah, uh, I'm good." Lucy stammered back quickly. Before he could question her strange response she blurted, "N-Natsu, why are you giving me a piggy back ride?"

Natsu laughed. "You were tired. I didn't wanna wake you up. But you were also shivering." She recalled the crisp air that she had felt before. There was _no_ way she could be cold now though, not while she was latched onto the back of this walking space heater. A space heater that she also happened to have just been dreaming about! She was immensely thankful that he couldn't see her face at the moment. Why were dreams so _weird?!_

"It's cooler here than it is on Earthland right now." Natsu continued. "The seasons must be different." He paused and nodded towards the city; Lucy was shocked to find that it wasn't too far off anymore. "The sun will start setting soon and it'll get even colder, so I figured we should find shelter before then. But you needed to rest to rejuvenate your magic a bit, so I carried you. Duh." He managed to shrug his shoulders even while carrying her.

The mention of rest reminded her of the dream she'd been having. "Yup, well, I'm nice and, um, _rested_ now, that's for sure, so, I-I can walk." She squirmed against his back in an attempt to get down, but he only tightened his grip on her legs. Her _bare_ legs, thanks to the short outfit from the celestial realm! His hands were like fire against her skin and she nearly squeaked again.

"No offense, but walking wasn't gettin' us very far earlier." He looked back at her with a teasing grin. "So just take it easy. This is nothin' for me."

Lucy, knowing it would be pointless to argue with Natsu when he was determined about something, blushed furiously and buried her face into his back. They moved in silence for a few minutes as Lucy swore internally over and over again. She was so embarrassed! Not only because of her dream, but because of the way it had affected her even afterwards. _Stupid Natsu_ , she cursed inwardly. _Stupid pink hair, stupid green eyes, stupid cherry blossoms, stupid-wait…_

Lucy straightened up. Something important that she had forgotten poked around in her mind. How long had he said she'd been gone? A week…

"Hey, Natsu." She murmured.

"Hm?"

"We missed the rainbow sakura viewing, didn't we?"

Natsu took a moment before responding, but Lucy already knew the answer. Of course they did. Or, to be more accurate, _she_ did. It was supposed to be held the very next day after she had found Loke's key. After everything that happened she had completely forgotten about it…

"Well…" Natsu began. "Yeah. But it's not a big deal. It'll come again next year." He spoke in a tone meant to reassure Lucy, but it only made her slump against him.

She didn't say anything. She felt really guilty, and sad, about missing the festival. Guilty because she knew that Natsu, and everyone else at the guild, must have been worried sick when she didn't show up the next day. And sad because she had really been looking forward to experiencing the festival with Natsu and their comrades. And although he had acted indifferently about it before, Lucy knew that Natsu had been looking forward to the celebration as well.

She felt terrible imagining him worrying about her while the festival was going on. She squeezed her eyes shut in an attempt to get rid of that thought. What _had_ he done in her absence? Was he at least able to still enjoy the festivities with the guild and not worry too much? She hoped so…

 _If only I had made it back on time_ …she thought wistfully.

Lucy twitched. Something about that thought struck a nerve with her. But what was it? Confused, she repeated the words in her head, hoping to figure out what was nagging her so much.

 _Time!_ Her eyes snapped wide open as the wheels in her head started quickly turning. A plan was beginning to formulate in her mind when Natsu spoke up, pulling her out of her thoughts.

"Whatever you're worrying about, quit it."

Lucy blinked. "H-how did-"

"I can practically hear your brain thinkin' too hard about something. You're gonna short out if you keep it up."

Lucy stared at the back of Natsu's head for a few silent seconds before bursting into a fit of laughter. She didn't really know why was she laughing, but she couldn't seem to stop. Natsu already knew her so well that it made Lucy feel somewhat giddy. This person that had been a complete stranger months ago could read her like a book. And while most people might think that was a nuisance, she felt only joy over it. After all, it was only a sign of how close she'd grown to someone on her own.

She decided to let the matter go for the time being, since _apparently_ her thoughts were loud enough for Natsu to hear. But she swore to herself that she wouldn't forget her plan.

After her laughter subsided, she tugged on a lock of Natsu's hair.

"Thanks for the ride, it was very enjoyable." She smiled. "But I'm okay to walk now, really." He stopped moving, but hesitated before letting her down. "Seriously, if I stay up here any longer I'm going to get spoiled and want you to give me piggy back rides _every_ where." She poked his cheek playfully. "Even to the bathroom."

Natsu turned his head and nipped at the finger prodding his cheek. "Yeah, right. In _your_ dreams." He joked, echoing her words from before as he finally lowered her to the ground.

The mention of dreams made her flush, but she quickly averted her attention to something else. Her eyes scanned their surroundings and she determined that the city was only maybe twenty more minutes away. She must have been asleep for a while…

"How are you feeling?" Natsu asked seriously.

Lucy took a moment to evaluate herself. She felt…a little better. But definitely no where near she should be. The magic that she usually felt flowing through her veins was there, but it was weak; a stream compared to a river. Not to mention the fact that she was hungry, groggy, and _freezing_ in her outfit. She knew that, given the opportunity, she could still sleep the entire rest of the day and night away until her magic power was completely replenished. But she didn't have that opportunity right now. So she settled with smiling and saying, "Much better. Thanks again. I needed the rest."

That was when Lucy got to really take in Natsu's appearance for the first time since she'd fallen asleep. His skin was paler than usual, and his face looked a bit…green? Almost like it did when he got motion sickness, but that couldn't be the case right now. They weren't on any sort of moving transportation.

"Natsu?" Lucy questioned with concern. "Are _you_ feeling okay?"

"Yeah." He answered quickly. "The air just smells weird here. I noticed it a little while ago. Whatever it is just seems to get thicker the closer we get to the city."

Lucy scrunched her brows together in confusion before it suddenly clicked. Earth was full of pollutants in the air that were completely absent from Earthland, due to everything running on magic rather than fuel.

To a dragon slayer, with extremely sensitive senses, the air on Earth was probably repugnant, especially around large cities. It's no wonder he was turning green…It was more than likely making him nauseous.

Lucy glanced between Natsu and the city a couple of times with worry. "That'll only get worse if we go in there. Maybe we shouldn't. Maybe we can-"

Natsu shook his head and kept walking forward. "You're covered in goosebumps and _literally_ shaking, Lucy. We need to get inside somewhere."

He paused to turn around and look at her with a pout. "And I'm starvin'."

It was Lucy's turn to hesitate now. She had a bad feeling about going deeper into the pollution. But when Natsu kept walking, she had no choice but to nervously follow after him.

However, after a few more minutes of walking, Natsu started to sway. He accidentally bumped into Lucy and she was barely able to catch herself from falling to the ground.

It was time for her to put her foot down. The smog and fumes were definitely starting to mess with his head. She grasped ahold of his arm and tugged him to a stop. "Nope, absolutely not. You're not going in there. You can't even walk straight!"

"Come on, it's fine, _I'm_ fine." Natsu slurred as he turned around to face Lucy. His eyes widened when he saw her. "Whoa! Two Lushi's!"

"Wow, seriously." She facepalmed. "You were feeling this crazy dizzy and you didn't tell me until now because…?"

Natsu shrugged. "Thought I'd get used to it. I can't believe you lived your whole life breathin' this stuff in." He face twisted up in a grimace. "Yuck."

"We always lived on the country side, wherever we moved. Mom probably missed the clean air of Earthland and that was as close as it got." Lucy mused aloud.

"Lushiii." Natsu whined. "I'm hungryyy."

Lucy's mind whirled. There was no way he'd be able to go into any establishment in the city right now. Someone would probably think he was drunk and underage and call the cops. Or think he was seriously ill and call an ambulance.

Not to mention the fact that in his current state of mind he might accidentally start spewing flames from his mouth, and how would she explain _that_ to the police? Oh, don't mind him, he's just an extremely powerful fire dragon slayer from another planet that could completely and totally wreck this entire city just by sneezing, maybe…

Something told Lucy that wouldn't be easy to take in…They'd probably get the entire army sent after them!

Her imagination was running rampant as a shiver made its way from the tip of her toes to the top of her head. It really was getting cold out…She sighed. There was only one solution. "I'll just use the King's Key and take us to my house. You'll feel better out there, away from the pollution. Besides, there's no point in going to the city when my house will provide us shelter _and_ food."

Natsu drunkenly shook his head. "But you have to let your magic finish replen-"

"No, I'm fine." She lied smoothly. "I think it already has. I feel great. Brand new." She attempted a smile as she pulled the key from it's spot on her necklace. Truthfully, she felt a bit nervous. In any other situation, she would wait until she was absolutely positive that it would be safe to use the key again. But right now, _Natsu_ wasn't safe. Well, she wasn't sure if he was anyway. She knew going deeper into the smog of the city would only make him feel worse and she didn't want to risk seriously harming him when _she_ had another way.

Natsu glared at her suspiciously through narrowed eyes. "Are you sure? The city's not that far, Luce."

"Yes, I'm sure." She immediately answered.

"I'm okay, just a little lightheaded. It'll get bett-"

"No. We're going, Natsu."

"But-"

"Take my hand." Her demand left no room for argument.

She felt bad for not being totally truthful with him. But they swore to take care of each other. This was just _her_ taking care of _him_ for a change.

Natsu grumbled, but grabbed her hand nonetheless, choosing to believe her.

Lucy focused on the warmth of his hand for a moment. She flushed as she realized that Natsu was about to meet _her mother_. That thought hadn't occurred to her at all until right in that moment! Just thinking about him meeting her mom had her heart racing for reasons she didn't understand. What would her mom say? Would the two of them get along? Would her mom be happy, sad, or angry? Questions and possibilities swirled around in her mind.

Lucy shook her head and squeezed her eyes shut. She had to clear her thoughts and prepare herself to focus. She recalled using the King's Key the first time; how she had coaxed the key's power to spread from her fingertips, up her arm, and throughout her body.

It worked, just like before, but this time it was much more strenuous. While the key's power flooded through her veins, her own magic tugged and pulled _out_ of her. She felt herself draining already, and they hadn't even teleported yet.

Natsu eyes filled with concern. "Lucy, I don't think this is a good idea. You're kinda pale."

"Shh. I need to concentrate, remember?" She opened one eye and peeked out at him. "I'm fine." She persuaded before shutting both eyes once more.

Once the tingling energy from the key filled her entire body, she focused on her house. She pictured it vividly. Since her eyes were closed, she didn't _see_ the glowing light engulf her and Natsu, but she _felt_ it. She stayed focused solely on her home as she urged the key to take them there. And just like that, they were gone.

She kept her eyes closed through the rabbit hole, afraid to break her concentration even in the slightest. She knew without a doubt that they would be taken to the right place this time.

It wasn't until her feet roughly hit the ground that she even dared to open her eyes. The first thing she saw when she finally did was her and mother's quaint, little house. Relief flooded through her and a small smile cracked across her lips. She'd done it. They were actually there!

"Home." She murmured before fog filled her mind and her body tipped forward.

The last memory she had of that moment was Natsu yelling her name and a pair of warm arms wrapping around her waist before she could hit the ground.

OoOoOoO

The first thing Lucy became aware of was a low, peaceful melody drifting to her ears. It took her no time at all to recognize the sound. _Mom_. Her heart skipped a beat as Layla's soft humming coaxed her eyes to slowly peel open.

Lucy was lying down, wrapped in a thick wool blanket. Her head was propped up on someone's lap rather than a pillow; her blonde hair billowed all around her as someone gently stroked their fingers through it.

Lucy's face eagerly turned to gaze up into her mother's eyes. "M-Mom?" Her voice cracked with emotion as she finally took in her mother's loving features again.

Layla smiled warmly down at her daughter. "You shouldn't push yourself so hard, Lucy, dear." Her mom cupped her cheek with care. "You can only bend so much before you break. That is the way of life. Take things at your own pace, sweetie."

Lucy's eyes filled with tears and her arms wound tightly around Layla's waist. "Mom!" She cried with her face buried in her mother's stomach. "I'm so sorry! I-I know you m-must have been so worried." Her body trembled with the weight of everything that she wanted to say; all of the fears, all of the questions, all of the emotions, all of the events that have taken place.

Layla soothingly rubbed small circles on Lucy's back with one hand, while her other continued to stroke her hair. "Shh." She consoled. "It's okay, Luce, shh."

Lucy sniffed loudly and her arms tightened around her mother. "I-I missed you. S-so much." She breathed finally.

Layla's hands stopped moving. For a moment, there wasn't a sound in the world.

"Then you have to come find me, sweetie."

Lucy froze. "W-what?" She whispered. Confusion swept through her. "W-what do you mean?" She questioned quietly as she lifted her head to look at her mom again.

Instead of finding her mom, however, she found herself looking up at an empty ceiling. Layla had vanished into thin air and Lucy was completely alone and shrouded in darkness.

Panic seized her and suddenly Lucy was falling through a pitch black vortex.

No, no, _no_. She shook her head violently.

This isn't happening. This isn't happening. Wake _up._

Her eyes shot open and relief quickly washed over Lucy. Her surroundings were dim, indicating it was night, but she could faintly make out the familiar outlines of furniture in the room she was in. Lucy breathed deeply over and over again, calming her racing heart. This was her room. She could clearly tell even though it was dark.

 _It was just a dream_ , she repeated to herself. _You're home. You're fine_.

Her head was pounding, which was another good sign, despite the pain. It meant there was no possible way that she was still in slumberland. She was awake, for real this time.

She shifted slightly and discovered that her head was still resting upon someone's lap, just as it had been in that bizarre dream. Her heart skipped. "Mom?" She questioned silently.

Lucy wasn't at all prepared to hear the voice that responded to her instead, much less the words they carried with it. "No, Luce." Natsu's voice answered hesitantly. "It's just me. Your mom's not here."

* * *

 **And voila! This chapter was going to have a lot more in it, but it wound up really long by itself! SO I figured a chapter filled with a bit of NaLu fluff wouldn't be too bad^_^ Things are going to start moving very quickly, within the next few chapters, so I thought it'd be nice to have enjoy some of our two favorite people together!**

 **I can't wait for where this story is headed! I'm literally shaking with excitement for it.**

 **Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this cute little chapter and I hope it didn't make anyone wanna barf too bad from fluffy overload!**

 **Let me hear what you think! As always, your words mean the most to me!:D**

 **Also, next chapter we get Natsu POV! I'm really excited for it, I love writing in his point of view. He's my favvv ^_^**

 **SulliMike23 : Hello!:D Thanks again for reviewing, you're really awesome, by the way^-^ Well, since now you know that they never really made it to the city, they didn't get to figure out where they were. But the answer to your question is yes! They made it to Earth:) The key took her to the right planet, but didn't take her to the exact right place because she had lost her focus. And you're right! Layla has soooooo much explaining to do! I'm reallyyy excited to write about it!:D **

**arcadea333 : Hehehe, I love how attached everyone is to Lucy. But then again, everyone in Fairy Tail is so attached to everyone! That's just how amazing their bonds with each other are and I sincerely love it so much! It makes me happy that they're already forming those bonds with Lucy too!^-^ AHHHHHHH, is Erza okay?! Or isn't she?! AHHHHHH, I can't say even though I REALLY WANT THOSE 500 CHOCOLATES, OMG THAT SOUNDS SO YUMMY! We'll find out very soon though;) I LOVE MAVIS! Ahh, I can just see her happily prancing around the guild too. She fits in so wonderfully! Well, she is the founder, but still! I love her T^T Ahhhh, I'm glad you liked the 'it's always more fun when we're together' part, because I DIED writing it! Hahaha, I get the feeling that you and I would be very good friends irl ^_^ We could fangirl together over everything! And then people would just think we're _both_ insane, muahahaha! Ahh, but really though, thank you so much! Your reviews always brighten my day! ^_^ I'm so happy that you found my story, and I always look forward to hearing what you have to say! Wellll, at least if it got weird then we got weird together!:D hahaha  
**

 **CelestialLunaPanda-Senpa i: Oh wow, I'm so sorry that something similar happened to you and your mom:( But, on the bright side, it sounds like everything ended up working in you and your moms favor, so yay!:D In that case, I'm so happy for you two! And whatever could you mean? I one hundred percent believe in Sir Flufsilot~! Hahaha, the imagery in my head right now of a flying unicorn farting rainbows is pretty amazing! XD Anyways, YASS NALU! Thank the heavens for NALU! I can't wait for things to get even more saucy (wink, wink, nudge, nudge) AHHHH, all aboard the nalu train ^_^ haha, thank you so much for reviewing! Your reviews seriously make me laugh so hard everytime I read them, they're amazing! Haha, bless you  
**

 **FireShifte r: OMFG HAPPY _BELATED_ BIRTHDAY! *blows confetti* YAY! I hope you had a wonderful birthday, and I'm seriously honored that you would consider a chapter of my story like a belated birthday surprise. You're wonderful, and your continuous support is amazing and I seriously appreciate your every word and every review! Sooo, again, happy late birthday! Anddd, I'm so happy that Natsu and Lucy are back together again! At least Natsu won't have to worry quite as much anymore! But as far as the sakura festival goes, I'm not finished with it just yet ^_^ And oh, I know! If poor Natsu had had to wait that long for Lucy to come back, I don't know if any of us could have handled it T^T Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this fluffy one ^-^ thank you for being so awesome!  
**

 **misssbehavin : AHH! Really?! I'm so happy that you were looking for my story and ebfseurgsuyfh I'm so happy that you found it! Yayyy!:D Welcome, welcome to the madness. And omg, ahh thank you so much! I absolutely adore Natsu and Lucy together (obviously) and it means the world to me to know that I'm doing them justice in my story ^_^  
**

 **StargladesTime : WOW, okay, so first off, thank you sooo so so much for your review! AHHH, wow, that seriously made me so happy, I read it over and over, haha. But THANK YOUUUU! Ahhhhh, you're so awesome! I'm so grateful to have the most amazing readers in the world, and bless you for your mini rant because I loved it! Hehehehe, I'm glad that you like all the fluffy goodness in the story! I especially hope you enjoyed this chapter as well!:D I know, I hate catching up with a story and then having to wait for the next chapters to come out (like how I am right now with FT!) but I promise to try to update at least once a week! T^T AHHHH WOW YOU'RE SO AWESOME! Now we can stroll through the fields of tomorrow land together! hehe:p Thank you soo so much!  
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 **The Age of Awesomeness : AHHHH, Thank you so much! Your wish is my command! Also, your name on here is pretty awesome ;D bdum tshh  
**

 **Kauia : Oh wow. I don't even know where to begin...I guess, to start off BLESS YOU, YOU BEAUTIFUL ANGEL! Wow, I mean, seriously, I can't even begin to thank you enough for that wonderful and thoughtful review! And omg I just want to glomp you because of your post on tumblr too! T^T You're an angel. WOW! Thank you so much, from the bottom of my heart. I can't come close to telling you how grateful I am for this very humbling review, and I'm so so sOO happy to have gained a reader like you. I'm thrilled that you found my story and found so much light in it! I seriously can't wait to explore the rest of this story with you! I'm so happy that someone else fully appreciates the mother/daughter relationship in this story. And the humor, and the emotion, and the angst! And I'm so happy that I'm able to do both Natsu and Lucy justice in this fic, because they're both so incredible, and I don't want either one to outshine the other! I can't wait to get more into the skeletons hidden in the shadows with other characters, tehehe. And to delve deeper into this story and all of its madness. I just...wow, there's nothing else that I can say at this point except thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you *bows* I look forward to sharing more with you from here on out!:D and one last time, THANK YOU SO MUCH OH MY GLOB AHHHHHHHH! I HOPE YOU HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY TOO YOU BEAUTIFUL SOUL!  
**

 **HOLY COW, YOU GUYS HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH YOU ROCK. I mean, wow, I have the best readers in the world...I'm so immensely grateful for you all. Your words mean the absolute most to me.**

 **Thank you all so much for your support! Let me know what you think, and of course, have a wonderful day/night!**

 **xoxoxo**

 **-Mac**

 **P.S., foxlover98, let me know if you're still interested in editing!:DDD**


	27. Feelin' the Heat

**Hello, hello! How are all of you beautiful souls?**

 **I'm sorry I've been so inactive lately. I've been working like crazy to save up for this trip I'm going on in a couple of weeks. I get to explore 4 different East Caribbean islands! O.o Ahhh, I'm so excited, but the work load has been killing me! T^T I've been feeling really lethargic because of it. But I don't want you guys to wait too long for chapters, so I vow to work harder!**

 **Therefore, without further ado! Please enjoy Chapter 27!**

 **P.S., Also, I'd really love to thank my new editor, foxlover98! You're already helping me catch mistakes and better my own writing skills and you've only edited one chapter so far! Thank you so much, Emma! This story will only get better thanks to you :D I'm looking forward to working on future chapters!  
**

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" _What?!_ " Lucy jolted up, much too quickly for her own good. "What do you me- _oww._ " She cut her sentence short when her head pounded ferociously and her vision filled with black spots.

Natsu glared at her. "Yeah, doesn't feel too good, does it?" He nearly growled. "That's what happens when you abuse your magic."

Despite his clearly angry tone, Natsu's hands were surprisingly gentle when he pushed her back into a laying position.

She took in Natsu's scowl with wide-eyed confusion. She could feel anger emanating from him, white-hot and unrelenting, and the shock was so great that Lucy was immediately distracted from her mom.

She tried to recall the events that had taken place prior to her passing out. Maybe something had happened while she was asleep that'd angered him? Or maybe it was something she just didn't remember at the moment. She sifted through her choppy memories of their hike and sucked in a breath when she remembered why they had traveled to her moms house so quickly in the first place; Natsu had been sick.

"A-are you okay?" She asked hesitantly. "Do you feel alri-"

"I'm fine." He snapped curtly and turned his glare to the wall ahead on him.

Lucy waited for him to say more, but all was silent. She was growing more worried by the second. What was wrong? Why was Natsu mad?

Right as she was about to attempt conversation once more, Natsu spoke. "I would have been fine even if we had went into that city, Lucy. People here breath that stuff, whatever it was, in everyday. I just had to adjust to it. _You,"_ He sneered the word and glanced down at the blonde. "However, are _not_ fine."

Lucy blinked. "I'm oka-"

" _Don't._ " Natsu cut her off. "Don't lie to me again. You're not _okay_ right now, and you weren't okay before." He said bluntly. "Are you forgetting that I've lived with magic my entire life? I _know_ what it's like to overdo it. I know how it feels. And I know what it can do to people that use too much. You could have killed yourself, Lucy!" Natsu inhaled sharply at his own words. He looked away and rubbed a hand down his face, hoping to calm himself down.

Lucy stared. She was beginning to understand what had made Natsu feel like this. "I just…you were sick, and I didn't know what would happen if it got worse."

"Me being a little dizzy isn't worth killing yourself over." He said flatly while staring at the same spot on the wall as before. "Look," he sighed. "I'm from a different world than you are. I take on jobs that are dangerous. I know what's at stake every time I go out on one. But I know how valuable this _one life_ we get is. I may do dangerous work, but I would never sacrifice my life without at least tryin' _every other possible scenario first_. So for you to willingly throw your life on the line, without even _thinking-"_ Natsu squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. When his eyes opened, they were still angry, but there was a pleading aura inside them. "If you're going to risk your life, make sure it's for a damn good reason. And my dizziness is _not_ one of them." He stared deep into her milk-chocolate orbs, trying to convey everything else that he didn't know how to say: _Don't scare me like that again; I can't lose you; You mean more to me than you could possibly know._

She must have understood.

Lucy slowly pushed herself up, taking the time to ensure that she didn't cause her head to painfully pound as it had before. Once she had risen, she scooted close, and gripped tightly onto the front of his jacket.

"I'm sorry, Natsu." She spoke earnestly and desperately. "I-I didn't know that I could have…well, you know."

Natsu could hear the feeling of guilt in her tone. He slowly felt his anger beginning to fade, but he wasn't quite ready to let her off the hook just yet.

He looked up at the ceiling to avoid looking into her doe eyes, but that didn't stop his hands from subconsciously reaching up to cover hers on his chest. "Exactly, Luce." He tried to make his tone hard like before, but he knew it had certainly lost its edge. "You're still learnin' all of this. So lying to me about whether or not you're feeling fine could be dangerous. Just…Just be honest with me, okay?" He sighed. Yup, he had definitely lost his edge. "I-if you feel tired, or…or if you're hurting, or if you're upset, _tell_ me." He lowered his gaze to meet hers again. "Let me take some of that burden from you. We can carry it together. I can help you. That's what being a team is."

Lucy nodded furtively. "Y-yes. I will, Natsu, I promise. No more lies, and no more unnecessary risks. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel this way." The words flew out in a rush.

"It's-"

"I want to carry your burdens too, not just give you more. I'm really sorry for not thinking. I want to learn more from you and share more with you." Tears pricked at the corner of her eyes.

"Luce, it's o-"

"This is the second time I've hurt you in the span of a day. I'm so so sorry. I'll do-"

Her panicked apology was cut off when Natsu raised a hand and flicked her on the forehead.

"Okay." He assured when he finally had a chance to speak. He half smiled and pushed some of her disheveled hair out of her eyes. "I know. I believe you. Now stop feeling bad." He insisted. "I hate that look on you." Natsu added, much more quietly.

Lucy's lips quivered and she flung her arms around his neck.

Natsu's eyes widened in shock at the sudden movement. His face grew warm when Lucy squeezed her little frame up against him. His heart felt like it was trying to beat its way out of his chest. What was going on with his body? Maybe those fumes from the city were still getting to him...but he felt fine up until this moment!

Lucy's hands tightened onto the cloth of Natsu's jacket and his body temperature spiked even more. _W-what is-_

"You're the best friend I could ever have, Natsu. I'll thank the stars everyday, for the rest of my life, for allowing our fates to collide with one another." Lucy poured her heart into every word she spoke. "I don't ever want to lose you."

Natsu swallowed. His heart still beat quickly, but this time he felt it was for a very different reason; one he still couldn't quite figure out.

His arms snaked around Lucy's back, returning her embrace and pulling her tighter against him. "Yeah." He murmured. "Me too."

They stayed like that for a few moments, enjoying the silence and the sense of security from being in each other's arms.

Natsu realized that every burning flame of anger he had felt earlier had completely evaporated. Not even an ember remained. Lucy had vanquished all of it with just a couple of sentences. This girl was dangerous…

He cracked a smile at that thought. Now that his anger was gone, he felt a bit giddy. He displayed that by nuzzling his face into Lucy's hair and grinning. "Setting aside how _stupid_ it was, I guess I should thank you. For looking out for me, I mean." Lucy pulled back just a bit so she could look at him. "Even though I would have been _perfectly_ fine." He emphasized teasingly.

"Okay, okay, I get it!" She huffed playfully before returning his smile.

Lucy took a look around her dark room. "So, how long was I out?" She asked curiously.

"Just a few hours, I think. When you fainted, I kind of freaked out. You might need a new doorknob for the front door." He said while casually scratching his neck.

Lucy cocked a brow. " _Might?_ "

"Yeah…no. Definitely. You definitely need a new doorknob." He flashed his sharp canines in a wide grin, as if daring her to get angry.

Lucy only shrugged. _Oh well_. Doorknobs were replaceable. She knew her mom would understand.

Natsu continued. "Anyways, as soon as the door was open, I brought you straight in here and haven't left since." He paused and took a moment to look all around Lucy's room. Even though it was dark, Lucy knew his keen eyesight could probably make out every object and item that was tucked away in her small living space.

She grew a little bit self conscious of their surroundings. She couldn't remember the state she had left her room in. Was it messy? Were dirty clothes strewn around the hamper? Had she put away her notebooks and journals? She'd probably keel over if Natsu read them…her cheeks grew warm when she realized that a boy was in her room for the first time. And he was hugging her. _On her bed_.

Lucy pulled back quickly, embarrassment washing through her. She knew she must have been beet red, she just hoped that maybe Natsu's eyesight wasn't _that_ good.

But of course it _was._ He watched as she flushed and squirmed, doing everything in her power to avoid looking at his face. He raised a brow, but didn't question her odd behavior.

Why was she even freaking out? She silently pondered it in her head. Having Natsu in her room was different than having some boy in her room. Right?

She had nearly convinced herself that until a tiny voice whispered in the back of her mind. _Or maybe you're reacting like this_ because _it's Natsu, and not just some boy._

Dammit, Lucy! She groaned inwardly, cursing her wild imagination, and hurried to say something to distract herself.

"So, uh…how did you know this was my room? You said you brought me straight in here, but you've never been to my house before."

Natsu grinned and tapped his nose in response.

Lucy flushed even more. So..he had known this was her room because of the smell. _Her_ smell.

Knowing that he could find her anywhere just by following her scent somehow felt…personal? Or maybe intimate was the right word. _No, no!_ She shook her head to clear her thoughts. _Stop blushing._ She scolded herself.

Besides, that kind of thing was normal for Natsu. He could follow anyone by their scent, not just hers. There was nothing intimate about it…but she still couldn't help wondering…what did she smell like to him?

She scratched that question off as _way_ too weird to ask, and settled with saying something else that had been weighing on her mind instead. "Thank you, Natsu. I swear one of these days you won't have to keep taking care of me." Lucy smiled sheepishly.

Natsu rolled his eyes. "Yeah right. Maybe when pigs fly. You're one of the most accident prone people I've ever met." He flashed a crooked grin.

Lucy raised her hands in front of her, coming to her own defense. "Hey, if cats can fly, then I see no reason why pigs can't." She reasoned.

Natsu's jaw dropped as if he was shocked that he hadn't thought of that before. "You're right!" He shook his head in disbelief before smiling once more. "But seriously though, it's fine. If _I'm_ not taking care of you, then how else will I know that you're being taken care of? Also, it might get a bit boring. I mean, what else would we do in our spare time?"

Lucy rolled _her_ eyes this time. "Oh, I don't know. Maybe _normal_ people things."

Natsu scoffed. "Normal people things are overrated." He looked at her with a raised brow. "And I don't know if you've noticed yet, but neither of us are very normal."

Lucy grinned. She had to admit that he was right about that. They were _a little_ on the abnormal side.

Speaking of abnormal…Lucy's brow scrunched together. "Has my mom not come home at all since we've been here?"

Natsu held her gaze as he shook his head.

"That doesn't make any sense!" Lucy began to fret. "It's the middle of the night! Where would she be?" Lucy asked more to herself than to Natsu. Of course he wouldn't know anyway.

Lucy scrambled to the edge of her bed and swung her feet to the ground. Before she could take a single step, however, Natsu had already pulled her back onto the mattress. "Whoa, slow down there." He ordered with a hard look on his face. "You need to sleep. There's no point in gettin' all worked up right now when you need to recover. You can't look for your mom if you go and pass out again." He narrowed his eyes, silently challenging her to defy him.

Lucy may have been forgiven, but she knew she was walking on thin ice. Especially if Natsu didn't think she was taking her health and healing seriously. And she had to admit, begrudgingly, that he was right. Just the act of standing up gave her another pounding headache. Not to mention her bones felt like jello…jello that was bruised all over…bruised jello. Lucy giggled.

Now she knew she _must_ still be a little out of it. Perhaps she was slaphappy.

Whatever it was, she knew that she couldn't go stumbling around looking for her mom in her current state. Plus, her blankets and pillows were sounding more alluring with each passing second.

Natsu could see that she was caving. "I'll wake ya up if she comes home, okay? The very second I hear her." He insisted. "At least sleep until morning. You should feel a little better by then."

Drowsiness was staking it's claim on her, and Natsu's reassuring voice was only lulling her to sleep even more. She slumped against her headboard with a groan. "Fine. But you better wake me up, mister."

"Aye!" Natsu agreed quickly and Lucy melted into a laying position. A sigh of relief escaped both her and Natsu's lips.

She had just barely begun to slip out of consciousness when she felt the bed move. Her eyes snapped open and her hand flung out on reflex. "Where are you going?" She whispered.

Natsu had frozen in place when she tugged on his scarf, one foot hanging off the bed. He looked down at the beyond tired blonde and cocked his head to the side.

"Well I...There's a couch out there and...well now that I know for sure you're okay, I just thought I'd-"

"Don't." Lucy interrupted. "Stay with me. Please."

Natsu's entire body froze. But his heart, on the other hand, began moving at a vicious rhythm. The warm feeling from before started making its way to his cheeks again. "Wha-"

"I had a really bad dream before. I know it sounds silly, but…I don't really want to be alone right now." She mumbled.

Natsu's face softened. Before he knew what he was doing, his hand was gently stroking Lucy's hair out of her face for the second time that night, lingering for a moment on her flushed cheek. "Okay." He agreed with a light smile. "I'll stay right here. Okay?"

Lucy hummed with content and her eyes shut once more.

Within seconds, Lucy was asleep. Natsu could tell by the change in her breathing pattern. He settled himself into a comfortable position leaning against the headboard beside Lucy, and let out a frustrated groan.

"What is wrong with me?" He wondered aloud with annoyance. He's never been like this before. Feeling all flustered for no reason. Losing his train of thought. Having his heart race sporadically. And most importantly, he was feeling _hot_. Him! Natsu didn't feel heat! He hasn't for as long as he could remember. It had no effect on him! But for some reason, lately he's been feeling this _warmth_ course throughout his body. He wouldn't exactly call it uncomfortable…just more like _unusual_.

And he wasn't dumb. He knew where the cause lay. It was right beside him, in fact. He glanced down at Lucy with narrowed eyes.

It was _her_.

His weird ailments always occurred when he was around her. Sometimes when she would say something, or when she would do something. Sometimes when she looked at him. Sometimes just when _he_ looked at _her_.

But Natsu couldn't figure out _why._ And not knowing why was driving him _insane_.

He gave up trying to get to the bottom of this mystery with a huff of annoyance. He decided he might as well lay down and try and get some sleep as well. He'd wake up immediately if he heard the door opening.

He settled down into the bed while halfheartedly cursing Lucy and her weird alien powers. He was laying flat on his back with his hands clasped beneath his head when he heard the first mumble. He glanced to his side to see Lucy's nose wrinkling and her brows scrunching together as if she was in deep thought. A couple more incoherent mumbles came out before her face relaxed into a soft goofy smile.

Natsu stared in silence with wide, open eyes. _Cute._ The word involuntarily sprang to the front of his mind.

He swallowed thickly and turned his attention back to the ceiling. "Alien." He grumbled as he forced his eyes closed.

It was when Lucy mumbled something that suspiciously sounded an _awful_ lot like his name that he realized he probably had a _long_ night ahead of him.

But it was when her small body scooted closer to his and a delicate arm wrapped across his chest that he knew sleep would be next to _impossible_.

Natsu's eyes snapped open and his head whipped to the side. Lucy was still very much asleep. In fact, she seemed all the more content after her little rearrangement. A small smile tugged at the corner of her lips.

"Warm." She sighed and that was the last word Natsu would hear from her for the rest of the night.

But he had heard _more_ than enough.

His eye twitched as the heat flooded his entire being once more.

 _Devil. Not an alien. She's a devil._ He wholeheartedly decided and returned his glare to the ceiling.

Natsu's next few minutes were spent in despair as he repeatedly told his stupid heart to calm down. He began to fret that he would never be able to sleep like this.

It took a few more moments of trying to relax before a certain thought popped into his head. _Why exactly is this so bad?_

His head tilted at his own question. Bad? Is that what he had been thinking this was? He carefully considered the strange things that he was feeling…No, bad wasn't the right word. This was Lucy. Nothing was _bad_ with Lucy.

He just didn't understand it. But it wasn't bad.

 _Then quit freakin' out. She's your best friend, man._ The same inner voice whispered.

Natsu blinked. Of course. He had nothing to worry about. Whatever it was, him and Lucy would figure it out together. Even if he had to force her to talk about her bizarre alien magic.

She was still Lucy. Still his weird Lucy. Just because his chest felt a little funny sometimes and his body felt warm didn't mean he was supposed to act any different around her.

After coming to this happy conclusion, Natsu found that it was much easier to close his eyes and relax. A smile spread across his face as sleep finally beckoned him.

The last thing he recalled was the peaceful melody of Lucy's heartbeat directly beside him.

OoOoOoO

Lucy woke up to the sound of soft snores and a bright, warm light shining in through her bedroom window. She knew it was daytime due to the reddened hue of the inside of her eyelids. She also immediately knew without even having to move that she felt fresh and rejuvenated. Her body was singing with the magic that was once more coursing through her veins.

She happily opened her eyes, only to find the sleeping face of her dragon slayer best friend _directly_ in front of her. She let out an automatic squeal of surprise before clamping a hand hard over her mouth. She felt her face burn crimson.

Lucy averted her gaze from his peacefully snoozing face while she tried gathering her thoughts. She noted that his snoring had stopped, but other than that he didn't so much as stir. She replayed the past night in her mind with lightly tinted cheeks.

She was actually kind of grateful that her mom wasn't home at the moment. Lucy could only imagine Layla's reaction if she walked into her room to find her daughter, whom had been missing for months, in bed with a strange boy with pink hair. God knows the assumptions that would be made!

On another note, Lucy couldn't help but relish in the wonderful sleep she had gotten. She slept soundly and peacefully, but most importantly, without any freaky nightmares. She unintentionally pondered whether her wonderful sleep was thanks to the man resting beside her, or due to the excessive amount of energy she had drained while using the King's Key.

Thinking about Natsu caused her gaze to drift back to his face and she immediately squeaked again. His sharp, dark green eyes were now wide open and staring into hers. He looked thoughtful, inquisitive even; a rare look for Natsu.

Lucy's face blazed scarlet and Natsu cracked an ear splitting grin.

"Mornin' Luce!"

He instantly sat up, stretched his arms high into the air, satisfactorily cracking his spine in the process, and let out a loud, carefree yawn.

Lucy simply watched and grew ever the more flustered. He was his usual self, acting so casual and careless about waking up the way they had. While she, on the other hand, couldn't figure out why she'd been so unhinged by it. Hadn't she been the one to ask him to stay with her? There had been no ulterior motive behind that, nor some secret hidden agenda. She simply just hadn't wanted to sleep alone that night. It's not like it was the first time that she'd slept beside him anyways. So why was she feeling so thrown off by waking up next to Natsu now?

She was being silly, and if she didn't get her act together soon, Natsu would have even more excuses to call her weird. Lucy told her heart to calm down. It was time to be normal again.

Little did she know, Natsu's heart was actually racing just as much as hers was, hence the reason he had jumped up so quickly. The only difference between them was that he _could_ hear her identical zooming heartbeat.

Lucy sat up and greeted Natsu with a wide smile while she attempted to comb her fingers through her tangled golden locks. She gave up, deeming her efforts as futile, and decided to take a shower.

The thought was tantalizing. Oh, how she'd missed her shower! And her body wash, and her shampoo. Honestly, there were a lot of things she had missed that she hadn't even realized until that moment. She was definitely making sure to pack some bags to take with her to Earthland this time around.

She grabbed a change of clothes from her dresser and quickly excused herself, promising that Natsu could take his turn showering next.

Once Lucy was done, she made her way back to her room to find Natsu sitting on her bed holding a small rectangular device with a very confused expression on his face.

"Luce, you have some pretty weird stuff here that I ain't ever seen before. What is this thing?" He asked with his brows pulled together.

She giggled at the look Natsu had and plucked the contraption out of his hands. "How do you think I felt waking up on Earthland?" She teased and then opened the device and flicked a switch. "This is called a DS. You play games on it."

Natsu scrutinized the box as it lit up. "Games? On that tiny thing? Where's the fun in that…"

Lucy popped a cartridge into the slot and pulled up the start menu. "Oh, just you wait. You'll be eating those words soon." She promised with a wink.

She showed him how to hold the DS and what buttons to press. Once she felt he had a good enough understanding, she pressed start and observed. He seemed skeptical at first, but once he got the hang of the controls and figured out what was going on, his eyes lit up with amazement.

"So I'm moving that little mustache guy in there?"

Lucy nodded.

"Why is this weird mushroom attacking me?"

"Those are bad guys. You have to jump on them."

He nodded and continued for another few moments.

"What?! I already did this part, why'd I start over?!" He asked indignantly after a while.

"Because you died. You fell off the map."

"That's bullshit." He grumbled, but this seemed to only motivate him even more not to fail. Natsu pulled the DS closer to his face and tried again.

He glanced up at the blonde before refocusing back on the game. "I thought you said this world didn't have any magic? What's up with that?"

Lucy giggled for the second time; watching him was very entertaining. "That's not magic. It's just technology."

Natsu was distracted from responding when he once again fell off the level. "Dammit." He growled as he started over with even more fire in his eyes.

Lucy smiled. She had to admit that it was nice seeing Natsu in her home. She enjoyed observing him discover new things. His reactions were filled with wonder and awe. She honestly couldn't wait to show him more.

Was this how it was for him to observe her when she had first come to his world?

Her smile widened at the thought. It was nice that they were both getting a chance to experience the same thing with one another.

While Natsu was fully immersed in his fascinating discovery, Lucy took the opportunity to go downstairs and make them some breakfast. It would also give her a chance to think of where to look for her mother…

It made no sense to Lucy that her mom wouldn't be home. It especially didn't make sense that she would have stayed out overnight somewhere. Guilt weighed heavily on Lucy's shoulders as she imagined the possibility of Layla searching for her daughter all night long.

But no, Layla would still have come home at one point. To sleep, or eat, or at the very least, to check and see if Lucy had come home.

She shook her head quickly. Worrying wouldn't solve anything. She'd have to form a plan. But right now, she had to cook up something to eat so that she and Natsu would both have the energy to execute said plan.

She made her way to the fridge and swung the door wide to see what her options were, only to cringe back in horror at the putrid smell that wafted from inside. She covered her nose in disgust as she leaned back in to get a closer look at the refrigerators contents.

She was shocked to find that nearly everything had expired and gone bad. The milk was a month and a half past its date, the fruit was rotten, the cheese was moldy, and so on and so forth.

What had her mom been doing, living on takeout food for the past couple months? The fridge was atrocious! Layla had definitely let the place go a bit in Lucy's absence. The blonde's shoulders sunk in grief. This was her fault. Layla had probably been worried to death over Lucy's disappearance. So worried, in fact, that she ceased taking care of the house. Or at least, that was the only conclusion that Lucy could come up with. She'd read about this sort of thing in a book before. Stress, anxiety, and depression can lead to an uncaring blindness to ones surroundings. Whatever the reason for the state of her kitchen, Lucy only became more intent on finding her mom as soon as possible.

While she was home though, she decided to clean up the place for her mother to come home to. Lucy wanted to do whatever she could to relieve some of that burden from Layla.

She started with the fridge and cabinets. Nearly everything was expired, so it took her quite a while to sort through and throw everything out. Then she swept, dusted, and took out the trash. Finally, she opened the windows and lit several incense throughout the house to help get rid of the horrible smell that had leaked from the rotten food.

Once she was happy with the state of the house, she went back to the kitchen to look over what remaining food there was. Only nonperishable items were left, such as rice, pastas, cereal (with no milk), and junk food.

She sighed. This pitiful scattered arrangement of food didn't sound very appetizing. And even if it did, she knew that it wouldn't be enough for Natsu, knowing his monster of an appetite.

She decided that the best course of action would be to take Natsu to town to eat. After all, the town that they currently resided on the outskirts of was a very green environment. No large factories were anywhere near to musk the air with their pollutants to cause Natsu to fall ill. Of course, there were other things around like cars, but she hoped that it wouldn't be anywhere as severe as the smog of the city.

Once her mind was made, she rummaged through one of her and her moms many bookshelves in search for their secret hiding spot. It took her a moment to find the hollowed out encyclopedia that had an emergency stash of cash. She felt bad taking it without her mother's approval first, but Lucy knew without a doubt that if Layla _were_ there, she'd force it into Lucy's hands. Anything for her daughter, especially if it was even mildly important. Plus, Lucy promised herself that she would take a job request to makeup the money and replace it.

Lucy made her way upstairs to get the okay from Natsu to make a trip into the town. She planned to also use their time there to ask around and look for her mother; they were regulars at most places and knew the staff well. It was a rather small community.

She found Natsu in the same spot, eyes glued to the tiny screen on the DS. His thumbs moved quickly, mashing buttoms at quite an alarming speed. Lucy knew that he heard her enter the room, but he was too focused to look her way.

"Why does this weird turtle dragon keep stealing the princess? I don't get it! Dragons aren't supposed to be like that!" Natsu asked Lucy without missing a beat.

She laughed wholeheartedly at his question. He was rather adorable sometimes. Before Lucy could answer, however, Natsu swore colorfully. His eyes narrowed at the 'game over' screen and Lucy felt the temperature in the room spike significantly.

She had to act quickly, or Natsu was going to accidentally melt her DS into a pile of molten plastic and unfulfilled dreams. "C'mon, Natsu." She coaxed. "Are you hungry?"

A long, loud growl from deep within his belly was his response.

"I take that as a yes." She smirked, happy that she had easily distracted him from his loss.

Natsu grinned sheepishly.

Lucy extended a hand to pull him from the bed. "We're gonna go into town to get food. Don't worry, the air there will be nothing compared to the air in the city. I believe that you'll be perfectly fine." She smiled his way and Natsu returned it with enthusiasm and faithful trust.

"Gotcha. Sounds great. So, what're we havin', Luce?" He asked with eager anticipation.

"Well first," Lucy looked Natsu up and down, thoroughly scrutinizing his entire apparel. "We have to do something about those clothes."

* * *

 **I love these two little cuties so much! It seems like they're trying to sort out their feelings, huh? ;)**

 **Let me know what you guys think! Any thoughts? Questions? Concerns?**

 **We've only got a little longer on Earth and then things get kind of...intense. In a good & bad way. Stay tuned! :D**

 **SulliMike23 : Wellllll, on the bright side, they found her house!:D On the other hand, no such luck finding her mom yet:/ Hmmm..any thoughts?:3 also, thank you so so much for reviewing!:D**

 **The Age of Awesomeness : Hehe, I get happy when I read that name. It makes me think of the Avengers. Cause..ya know, they're awesome! And who needs the age of Ultron when you can have the age of awesomeness instead? Anyways, I'm gonna stop being dorky and thank you for reviewing!:D hope you enjoyed:D**

 **FireShifter : Ahhhh, thank you sooo so so much for reviewing! You're great!:D Hehehe, we'll find out (hopefully) soon about Layla! Any guesses?:) Oh my goodness, I knowww! The manga is stressing me out. SO MUCH! Ahhh! That fight between them was SO BRUTAL! I didn't think it was going to stop T^T ARGH I HATE WAITING FOR CHAPTERS! I'm right there with you though, we're both biting our nails frantically! T^T But on the bright side...that NaLu back hug tho! T_T gave me lifeee!  
**

 **StargladesTime : Hello again to you as well! Of course, and I'm so happy to hear that! I love responding to each and every review! It makes it feel like I'm talking with each of you:) And if you take the time out of your day to leave me a review on my work, which makes me sooOOo happy and I appreciate it so much, then it's only right for me to take the time to respond:) I want to make sure you know how much I appreciate you! THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH! Anndddd, I love Natsu's reactions to everything! I definitely won't skip out on those! Clueless Natsu is so precious! T^T I'm writing the next chapter right now and he's just so adorable. OOOOOOh, I can't wait for you to read it! I wish I could actually see Natsu's reactions to all of those things in real life. UGhhhh! Also, great guess about Lucy's mom! Only time will tell thoughhh;) Ahhhh, once again, THANK YOUUU! Your review made me so happy!  
**

 **CelestialLunaPanda-Senpai : I wanna do the tango and shake maracas with you! *attempts the tango but whacks self in face with maracas instead* Unfortunately I'm a klutz T^T MEHH! AHHHH Thank you sooo much for reviewing again! You're always such a highlight to read! Hehehe, they make me giggle to no end! AHHHHHH THE NALUUU IS REALLLLLL! It's kind of a problem. It seizes a hold of you and doesn't let go and then your trapped in NaLu wonderland FOREVAAAAAAA! Hehe, but it's okay. I'll go mad in that wonderland with my babies T^T Here's to things getting even more saucy! :D  
**

 **arcadea333 : OH GLOB, I knowwwww! I can't get over Natsu's adorableness! AHhhhHH! It's too much! No, it's not enough! No, I don't know anymore! D: Ahhh, instead of 'Where's Waldo', it's 'Where's Layla'! Who knowssssss! But both of your guesses are really good! AhHHH, by the way, THANK YOUUUUUU for reviewing! You're so great! You rock! And oopmf, you want Natsu awkwardness, you get Natsu awkwardness! Coming soon to a computer near you! I can't wait to write about it, he's precious! And OMG YES FANGIRL BESTIES! T^T The combined weirdness is wonderful, even with the combined nosebleeds and spazzing out! AHHHH! I'm gettin' all excited now! Hahaha  
**

 **T-tawny : HI, HI, HI! Thank you so much for reviewing and for yodeling! You're funny, I can tell already ^-^ I like funny! ANyWAyS! Thank you, and welcome to the MADNESS! *yodeling with you*  
**

 **Lizz Cold 790 : Ahahaha! Your review made me laugh! XD Firstly, thank you so much for reading and reviewing! I'M SO HAPPY! T^T Secondly, omg, I literally thought about whether or not I should write in small details here and there about how "After her shower Lucy blah blah-" that way people would know she showered! But I FORGOT T^T mehhhh! hahaha, but that was a really funny and logical question:P let's just assume that in between the scenes that were written, she took showers at the guild! Also, thank youuuuuuu again!:D  
**

 **Kauia : Ahhhhhhh, thank you! I'm no where near as sweet as you for all of the wonderful things you've said! YOU make ME blush! Ahhh, I'm still gushing over it! Oh please, if you ever write that drabble, I would LOVE to read it! You have no idea how awesome it feels to know that my writing could have inspired someone like that! That's amazing! _You're_ amazing and you really, really brightened my day with your review! Ahhh, how can I thank you more?! I'm so happy that you're enjoying this madland rollercoaster! I wanted to take people for a ride, so I'm glad that it's working! Ahhhh, seriously, again and again, thank you!  
**

 **Guest : OH MY GLOB, THANK YOU! WOW! The best?! That's a HUGE compliment! Holy cow, I can't even express how wonderful that makes me feel! Thank you so much! I'm glad that the characters are in character! I love Fairy Tail and all of the characters in the story and I really want their personalities to shine through! It makes it feel more genuine! Please don't be afraid of that, because I won't stop until this story is finished and that won't be for a longg time! And there will be more work to come even after this story! :D WOW! Thank you! You're so great! Here's to you! *cheers!*  
**

 **Fiery Keys : AHhhhh! You're amazing! Wow, thank you so much for reviewing! I'm soooo behind on both of your stories and I'm SO SORRY! I really have a lot of catching up to do! I've been so busy lately, I hardly have time to even write T^T BUT I promise I will make time to catch up on your AMAZING stories and leave you some really wonderful reviews for the wait! You're so great. Thanks a ton! T^T **

**HOLY CRAP YOU GUYS ROCK SO MUCH! WOW! Like...I'm just blown away by the overwhelming support from each and every one of you, it literally makes me want to cry! I can't tell you enough how much it means to me and how much I love hearing what everyone has to say!**

 **I can't wait to talk with you guys more! Thank you so much!**

 **I hope everyone had a spooky Halloween!**

 **Have a wonderful day/night!**

 **xoxoxo**

 **-Mac**


	28. The Southern Cross

**Guys, guys, guys! I'm back!**

 **Ahhh, so much has happened while I've been away. I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! Speaking of which, I'm so thankful for each and every one of my readers! Seriously, thank you guys so much! I truly appreciate you all:3**

 **Wow, you guys, traveling gives me lifeee! I wish we could all just travel the world, live peaceful lives, and never have to worry about anything:p haha, oh, the dreams of a madwoman! But, I'm happy to be back and to be able to settle down into my normal routine again. Which meansss, a lot more writing! And much more frequently...yikes, my attendance on here has been bad!**

 **But here's a super long, semi fluffy chapter for you to enjoy!**

 **P.S., I missed you guys!**

* * *

"Lushiii." Natsu's voice carried its way to her ears in a whine. "This stuff is so uncomfortable." He complained for the umpteenth time since they left the clothing store.

Lucy glanced his way to find him scratching the fabric of his new jeans with annoyance before she rolled her eyes once again. A vein in her head throbbed as she recalled how she'd practically had to force him into the button up flannel and denim pants, which had surely been a humorous sight to behold for outside witnesses.

So far, their journey into town had been a nightmare. For starters, the only way to get into the town was by taking Lucy's old rundown car. Normally, this wouldn't have been a problem; except, as Natsu had blatantly pointed out previously, they were not normal and the poor soul couldn't so much as even look at a vehicle without becoming nauseated.

The entire drive went by with him hanging his head out of the window, only barely holding back bile the whole time. Once they were parked, Lucy's worst fears were confirmed when a police officer approached them and asked whether or not Natsu was intoxicated.

Lucy panicked internally, but held herself together and explained to the cop that it was only a severe case of motion sickness rather than the influence of alcohol. Natsu must have sensed the tense atmosphere because he lifted his head and addressed the officer as calmly as he could, albeit while still looking a tad bit green.

"Alcohol? As if I'd ever touch that stuff again!" He made a gagging sound and straightened himself up the rest of the way. "Man, I feel much better! I could kiss solid ground right now!" The dragon slayer perked up with a brilliant smile that seemed to dazzle even the officer for a moment.

Until the cop took an even closer look at the pinkette's wardrobe.

"What's with the getup? You got a sleeve missin' there, kid."

Lucy paled. She'd been right about the clothes standing out, that's for sure. Thinking quickly, she barked out a shaky excuse of just returning from a Renaissance festival out of town. The cop raised a brow at her suspicious behavior, but seemed to take the bait.

After all, its not like choice of clothing was really a crime or anything…at least Natsu was __wearing__ clothing. If Gray had been the one to travel to Earth with Lucy, the officer would've slapped a public indecency charge on them ten times by now.

"Alright." The officer said after an insufferably long pause. "You kids stay outta trouble." He tipped his hat and returned to his vehicle, presumably to continue surveying the parking lot.

Lucy exhaled a long, deep breath. Her heart was pounding.

Natsu, however, was examining her with slight curiosity but was otherwise completely indifferent to the entire situation that had just transpired.

She shook her head at him and forced a smile. "Alright, crisis averted. Now let's get you out of those clothes."

 _ _That__ caught Natsu's interest. But Lucy had already turned away before she could see the rosy tint light his cheeks.

The duo entered the store rather peacefully, but the tranquil atmosphere didn't last long; nor did it ever last long with Natsu…

First, Lucy asked the seamstress in the back of the building for a tape measure so she could find out what sizes they needed to look for. Lucy ordered Natsu to hold his arms up and be still while she took his measurements.

He stared at the blonde but silently obeyed nonetheless. However, when she reached behind him and pulled the tape measure around his waist, Natsu smirked down at her mischievously. "Luce, I don't think this is the time or place to be tyin' me up. Don't'cha think that would have been more fun at your house?"

Lucy's cheeks burned as she stammered out a flustered response. "Sh-shut up! I-I'm just seeing what size clothes you wear." Her face felt hot but she risked a glance up at his face anyway. He was grinning widely, finding a bit too much amusement in her reaction. She glared before returning her gaze to her task and mumbling 'pervert' beneath her breath, fully aware that he would hear her just fine.

Natsu leaned down until their faces were inches apart. "Hey, I didn't mention anything like _that_. It's not my fault where your mind goes." His hot breath, mixed with a tiny puff of smoke, washed over her face and it took nearly all of Lucy's willpower not to inhale.

He was teasing her, she realized. In more than one way. And he was so not going to get away with it. Plans started forming in her mind as she huffed and pushed him away in order to return the tape measure.

Natsu's laughter followed her through the aisles of the clothing store, but it quickly subsided the moment she held out a pair of jeans towards him.

He took one look at the article of clothing and instantly said no.

Lucy tilted her head. "What do you mean, 'no'?"

"Nuh uh, no way. That's the same kinda pants you wear, right? That stuff looks so uncomfortable."

Lucy's eyes narrowed. "It's fine. You're just not used to them. Put them on."

"Nope."

"Please?" She attempted a puppy dog look.

"Haha. No…"

Lucy huffed. Then she decided to change the game a bit. Her eyelids lowered and she stepped really close to Natsu, just as he had done to her before. "Oh really? I didn't think that Natsu Dragneel __ever__ backed down from a challenge. Guess I was wrong." She let her breath wash over his face, mimicking his actions. The only difference was that he didn't even try to resist inhaling her scent. "Or maybe you're just a bit embarrassed that a girl is asking you to take off your clo-AHH! __Stop!__ Natsu, not right here, stupid!"

Natsu, who's expression had darkened considerably, didn't even let Lucy finish her sentence before he started pulling his belt off and attempting to undress right there in the middle of the store.

Lucy was once again red from head to toe as she shoved Natsu into a changing room. "Geez, did you really think that I meant right then and there?" She slammed the door behind him and slid into a chair to wait for him to change. "You're just okay with letting everyone see you like that, huh? I guess 'embarrassed' was the wrong word for sure."

Natsu laughed through the door. "All I'm hearing is that you don't want anyone else to see me like that."

Lucy was mortified. Was that what it sounded like?

"Noted. Don't worry, Luce. I'll only change in front of you from now on."

Lucy could hear the smirk in his voice and officially couldn't take it anymore. "Just sh-shut up! Hurry up and change! And j-just wait in there, I'm gonna go find you a shirt."

Lucy could faintly hear him chuckling as she ran away to search through the aisles. She quietly prayed that her cheeks would return to their normal pigment as she quickly picked out a button-up flannel and tossed it over the door for Natsu to change into.

Natsu grumbled the whole time that he was changing, which helped take Lucy's mind away from her embarrassed thoughts.

"Why does this have so many damn buttons..?" He groaned to himself.

Finally, he emerged from the dressing room and Lucy scrutinized him from top to bottom. She found it odd to see him in clothing from Earth. He looked like a guy that she could have easily met walking down the street. For some reason, she didn't like it…She preferred Natsu as himself. Wild, and kind of mysterious, and very strange. She was already looking forward to him changing back into his regular clothes when they returned to Earthland.

She smiled. "No offense, but it doesn't suit you. I like you better with your weird clothes."

"Ouch." He replied, but Lucy could tell that he agreed.

"Here, one more thing." She had decided that the weather outside was cool enough for a hat, so she plucked up a beanie last minute and tugged it over his unnatural (although very natural __to him)__ pink locks.

"Alright. Now we look abnormally _normal_. Well…sort of. I think it may be impossible for you." She laughed.

But when Natsu wrapped his scarf securely around her neck, Lucy's laughter ended abruptly. Her skin felt hot where his fingers grazed her neck and she looked up at him with confusion.

She was even more surprised to find that his cheeks were slightly pink. "It doesn't go with this horrible shirt you picked out for me at all. So you can wear it." Natsu glanced down at the scarf with a bit of longing and quickly added. "Only for now, though! You have to give it back."

Lucy chuckled. It was adorable how he kept glancing down at her to make sure it was still safe. She knew how much his scarf meant to him. And she also knew how much he must trust her to even consider letting her wear such an important treasure of his.

"Thank you, Natsu. I promise I'll take care of it." She squeezed his hand and smiled as the woodsy aroma of a campfire filled her senses. It surrounded her like an embrace and she felt overwhelmingly happy.

That is, until they went to the register to pay for his new attire and Natsu's endless stream of complaints began.

And so, after a long, tiring struggle in the clothing store, they got to where they now were. Natsu grumbled a complaint once more, but Lucy was getting quite good at tuning him out. They entered the brisk air of the street and started heading towards the buffet that Lucy had planned on taking them to.

Natsu let out a ginormous sigh of relief upon hearing that they wouldn't have to get back in the car for a while yet. With the town being relatively small, everything was in walking distance.

It was when they entered the eating establishment that the third nightmare of their town misadventures began. Lucy ordered two tickets for the buffet and two drinks. While she paid for the meals, she handed Natsu the cups and pointed him to the drink station.

He immediately disappeared and Lucy waited for the cashier to count out her change.

"Oh, sorry." The employee began hesitantly. "Could you please wait here for a second? I've got to run to the back to grab more ones for the register."

"Sure." Lucy said with a smile.

The cashier returned a few moments later with a stack of dollar bills. "Here you go, enjoy your meal."

Lucy thanked the worker and turned away to look for Natsu. Once her eyes fell on him, her entire face paled.

A line of irritated people had already formed in front of the drink station, and Lucy knew without a doubt that Natsu was at the front of it.

She sped through through the line of people to reach the front, which seemed to aggravate the customers even more.

She ignored their complaints about cutting in line and continued on to find a very confused dragon slayer. He was standing before the machine staring very intently at it. He must have been trying to determine how it worked and what each drink was by looking at the labels, but he had no idea considering the logos wouldn't be the same in their two very different worlds.

He tilted his head to the side and pushed a button, fascinated when the liquid came rushing out. Eyes filled with amazement, he turned his head to look at Lucy, knowing that she had just arrived beside him. "Look, Lucy! Are you gonna try tellin' me this isn't magic either?"

The blonde smacked her forehead and said weakly, "Nope, just more technology."

"But what if the technology _is_ magic?" He questioned curiously.

"No, Natsu, it can all be explained through sci-"

"Hey!" An impatient man behind them in line cut Lucy off. "Quit chit-chatting. Just get a coke and move on with it!"

Natsu raised a brow at the man, but Lucy turned him away before he could say anything.

"It's okay, just ignore him." Lucy said hastily, knowing that Natsu was probably ticked off. "Just put your cup under like this." She demonstrated for him. "And fill it up."

Natsu nodded and followed her instructions. He was about to fill up his cup when he suddenly stopped and glanced back at the man behind them.

"Luce, wait…" He took his cup out from under the spigot and looked at the blonde very seriously. "What if I don't like coke?"

Then, before Lucy could even think to respond, Natsu stuck his head under the drink faucet and filled his mouth with pop.

Lucy froze in shock as Natsu rose and swished the liquid around in his mouth for a split second before spewing it like a fountain behind him, directly into the face of the man that had shouted at them.

"YUCK!" He shouted as his nose wrinkled in disgust. He narrowed his eyes at the speechless man now drenched in soda. "Hey man, that suggestion was __awful!__ "

Lucy's jaw dropped in horror. When she saw the man visibly redden from the neck up, she hurriedly pushed Natsu away from the crowd.

"Sir! I'm so sorry! He…er, he's lived a very shut-in life. He's-um,well, he doesn't exactly know how to act in public." She called behind her as she rushed Natsu away.

"Oi, Luce, what's that s'posed to mean?" Natsu grumbled.

She shushed him and steered him into a far back, isolated corner of the restaurant.

"Sit." She commanded and Natsu fell into the chair instantly.

"Stay." She ordered with a deathly glare before running off to clean up his mess.

Lucy grabbed a handful of napkins and apologized profusely again while helping the man dry his face. She handed him some to dab at his shirt while she dropped to mop the rest of the liquid up from the floor.

The man gruffly accepted her apology, though Lucy could tell that he severely didn't want to. "There's no use gettin' too mad over it, is there? 'Specially considerin' that boy is clearly __special__."

At that, Lucy paused in her cleaning. She turned her face up to look at the man. "I'm sorry, what?" She asked.

"Y'know. He's one of them special kids, ain't he?"

Lucy's expression turned stony and she rose to her feet. "Um, I'm sorry, sir, but you seem to be mistaken. Just because I said that he doesn't know how to act in public does not, in __any__ way, imply what __you__ are suggesting. And even if he were mentally handicapped, the way you so clearly __sneered__ the word 'special' is absolutely disgusting! What's with that look of superiority and judgment? And that pompous attitude? Where do you get your sense of entitlement? Just _who_ do you think you are? Because to me, you only look like an __ass!"__ Lucy paused to catch her breath, but she wasn't done with the shocked man just yet. "And hey, by the way, __patience__ is a virtue! Didn't your mother ever teach you that? Perhaps if you hadn't been so damn rude earlier, you wouldn't have gotten yourself into this predicament in the first place!" Lucy huffed angrily. She tossed the wet napkins at his feet and turned tail. "Clean up your own damn mess."

She simmered back to the table where she left Natsu, no longer even slightly embarrassed over his actions. She was still boiling as she took a seat in front of the dragon slayer.

Natsu was staring silently at her with a slight gleam in his eye.

" _ _What?__ " She snapped after a few moments of him staring. She didn't mean to snap at Natsu, but she couldn't help it considering how annoyed she was over her confrontation with the man.

Natsu smiled slyly, not perturbed at all by the attitude from Lucy. "Oh, nothing." He grinned. "Thanks, though."

Lucy felt the ice on her shoulders begin to chip and melt thanks to Natsu's smile. Of course he'd heard everything that just happened... _stupid dragon slayers and their awesome hearing._ The corners of her mouth twitched. "Don't mention it."

"Okay." He obliged kindly. Then he chuckled a bit. "Remind me not to get on your bad side. That dialect just now was enough to make any man feel stupid. I half-expected to look up to see you with a pair of reading glasses on and holding a dictionary."

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well, you better watch out. I have a dictionary at home and a lot more where that came from." She stood up, deciding she had calmed down enough. "Now c'mon. Let's eat."

Natsu practically drooled at her words and bounced to his feet, following closely behind the blonde to the buffet lines. Thankfully, the man seemed to have left the premises after Lucy's little speech, meaning they could hopefully eat in peace.

It turns out that the buffet was _definitely_ the best idea for Natsu's insatiable appetite. He was absolutely ecstatic with the fact that the food was all-you-can-eat and he most certainly took advantage of it.

He ate like a monster. Which, Lucy granted, if people on Earth knew what he was capable of they probably __would__ think he was a monster.

Rather than feeling disgust like most people in the restaurant, Lucy only found amusement in his eating habits as she dodged bits of flying food every now and then. She was still amazed by how much he could eat, and even more amazed that he never gained a single pound.

Eventually, Lucy drug Natsu out of the buffet. Not because she wanted him to stop eating, but purely because she knew that he'd probably stay all day if she let him, and they had a lot more important things to do. Plus the poor restaurant would probably go out of business if Natsu stayed there any longer.

Once they had vacated the diner, Lucy made a point to stop at each location in town that Layla and her frequently visited together. They went to the fresh produce market, the little bookstore, and even the yoga studio, amongst a couple different mom-and-pop shops.

While Lucy asked around about her mother at each different location, Natsu remained relatively calm; aside from getting tangled up in his own limbs while trying to imitate the yoga poses in the studio. It took Lucy and the yoga instructor a few moments before they were able to get him untangled.

Lucy was feeling disheartened when person after person declined having seen Layla at all over the past couple of months. She decided to try the supermarket before giving up and returning home to wait a bit longer.

When they arrived at the large building and walked inside, Natsu's eyes lit up in awe. He'd never seen any place like it before. Lucy supposed that the first time visiting a Wal-Mart _would_ be a lot to take in for someone from a different world. After all, it was filled with tons of items that were completely foreign to him.

After Lucy had found the cashier that her and Layla had known for quite a while, she was once again turned down and Lucy was officially out of people to ask. However, before she could fret too much about it, Natsu practically __dragged__ her deeper into the store.

He wanted to go down each and every aisle, and Lucy couldn't deny him that treat. Besides, she figured she might as well buy some necessities to take back to Earthland while they were there. Natsu asked hundreds of questions as he pointed at this and that.

"What's this?"

"Lucy, how do you use this thing?"

"Why does this look so weird?"

The questions were endless, but so was Natsu's happiness and Lucy's amusement. The blonde smiled eagerly and answered every question he had while allowing him to drag her from one aisle to next hand-in-hand.

When they hit the electronics section, Natsu's eyes lit up with recognition. Next thing Lucy knew, he was pressing his face flat up against a large glass container.

"Luce, isn't that the same magic box you have at your place?"

Lucy peeked around him and laughed. "It's called a DS, Natsu." She reminded. "But yeah. They sell them here. And more games for them too."

" _ _More__ games?"

Lucy giggled at his delighted expression. Then he noticed something else in the case.

"Look, Lucy, that's the mustache guy! But he's all green there."

"That's his brother. It's a different game. There's actually a lot of them. I have quite a few at home."

Natsu's jaw dropped and he peeled his eyes away from the glass to gaze at Lucy. "You've been holdin' out on me!"

Lucy rolled her eyes. "More like we've been crazy busy since the moment we met each other. Plus we kind of only just got here _yesterday_."

Natsu's response was a childish 'hmph', along with a puff of smoke blown directly into her face.

"Hey!"

Lucy and Natsu froze.

"No smoking indoors! Come on, kids, were you two raised in a barn?!" An angry guy was calling from behind the electronics counter.

Natsu lifted a hand into the air. "Actually, I was raised in a cave, so..."

The blonde's face paled and she quickly snatched Natsu's raised hand into her own and started hauling him away. "So sorry, sir! It won't happen again!"

Lucy was already dragging them both far away before she could hear the workers irritable response.

Natsu was still throwing looks over his shoulder, only reluctantly allowing Lucy to pull him forward. "Sheesh, what's his problem?" He asked with annoyance.

Lucy rounded on him. "Natsu! Remember what we talked about before coming to town?"

Natsu stared blankly at her while nervously scratching his head. "Uhh…"

Lucy threw her hands up in the air. "Really?! No fire, no smoke, no magic! This world is different than yours and-"

"Ours." He corrected.

"Okay, yes, ours. But __this__ world is different." Lucy huffed.

Natsu was beyond reason sometimes, but something about the innocent look he was giving her made it impossible for Lucy to stay angry with him.

She let out a sigh and adjusted the crooked beanie on his head. "Just..no magic, okay?"

He grabbed her hand before she could pull away and let loose a wide grin. "Yes, ma'am."

Lucy's cheeks turned scarlet. "O-okay." She stuttered. "Now, let's grab a few things and then we can head back to my house." She finally returned a large smile. "I can show you the rest of the games. Or we can watch a movie!"

Natsu eagerly agreed and the duo set off down the aisles with a shopping cart in tow. They made sure to avoid the electronics department and the eyes of the angry worker from before.

Lucy filled their cart with toiletries, vitamins, and other heath products, as well as gear to take on jobs. She'd never had a reason before to own survival equipment, so she wouldn't be able to find any of that stuff at her house to take with her back to Earthland. So she bought a backpack, along with enough first aid and practical camping gear to comfortably fit inside. Before exited the aisle, a small solar powered charger caught her eye. She threw it in the cart last minute, not in order to charge a phone or anything like that. But because it had a USB port, which would be perfect for keeping the dragon slayer's new 'magic box' charged while on Earthland.

They also went through the nutritious sections. Natsu was already drooling before they had even reached the end of one aisle. He was fantasizing about all of the delicious foods that he had never even heard of before, so Lucy decided to load them up with bags and boxes of her favorite foods and snacks to take with them. She knew that Natsu would be in heaven over one of her personal favorites; flamin' hot cheetos.

Finally, Lucy made a stop in the home department. Natsu smiled sheepishly at her once he realized that she was picking out a new doorknob for her moms house…considering he had completely melted the original one when trying to get them inside. Lucy laughed at his feigned innocence.

The pair made their way to the front of the store to check out. While waiting in line, Lucy's gaze unwillingly flew to the magazines when certain bold headlines caught her attention.

" _What?"_ She said aloud incredulously. " _That's_ who they chose to be the next president?"

Natsu's head tilted in confusion. "Huh? What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Lucy shook her head in disbelief and a bit of disgust. "It's just probably a good time to be leaving..." She tore her eyes away from the magazines and moved forward in line to check out.

The duo exited the store with arms full of shopping bags. Natsu was bouncing happily along, excited at the thought of returning back to Lucy's house, until, of course, Lucy reminded him about the upcoming car ride.

"Blergh…" Natsu gagged, going green immediately.

Lucy pitied him, but she also couldn't hold back the tiny laugh that escaped her. "It's okay, come on. It'll be over before you know it." She said while soothingly rubbing his back.

And that was the end of their…interesting, to say the least, journey into Lucy's small town.

OoOoOoO

When the pair eventually made their way back to Lucy's house, the blonde set to work on packing everything up that she wished to take with her to Earthland. Natsu asked her if she was alright with returning to her house already since they still hadn't found her mom, but Lucy brushed it off as though it wasn't a big deal. But her and Natsu both knew that in reality, it was a _very_ big deal. Nothing was adding up about her mom. The expired food, the empty house, the fact that no one in town had seen Layla in months; none of it made any sense to Lucy. But every time she started to think about it, she grew anxious. So, as to avoid panic, she brushed it all off and she packed.

She packed enough clothing for each season; she didn't know how long she'd be staying on Earthland after all. She packed plenty of her favorite books, solely for the purpose of sharing them with Levy. She packed everything she had purchased during their shopping trip, aside from the doorknob, which she left out for Natsu to fix.

While she meticulously sorted through items to bring and items to leave, Natsu occupied himself once more with the DS. His eyes and brows were screwed up in concentration. Lucy stole glances every now and then with a warm smile. Though today had been unsuccessful in finding her mother, it had all been worth it to spend time with Natsu in a new world. She couldn't help but wonder what other worlds were out there that they might be able to discover together…

"Dammit, why can't I open this door?" Natsu murmured with annoyance, pulling Lucy out of her reverie.

She peeked up from an enormous pile of books and journals on the floor. "Locked door?" She questioned knowledgeably; she'd played the game enough times to know. "It just means you have to find the key first."

Natsu's brow pulled together. "Key? Hmm…" Lucy watched as he lowered the DS and scratched his head as if he was trying to remember something important. It was when Natsu's eyes met with hers that he visibly lit up. "Oh! __Key!__ " He yelled. "Thanks, mustache man! I completely forgot 'til just now!" He grinned at the DS before launching himself off the bed, directly at Lucy.

He landed right in front of her and reached for her hands. "Luce! I gotcha somethin'." He exclaimed with enthusiasm. Natsu then set off to find the plastic bag containing his original clothes from Earthland.

"Before you and I met up with each other again, Happy and I went on a job. Who'da thought we'd get done and make it back __right__ as soon as you got back too..." He explained as he dug through his clothing. "It was the job that you picked out, the monster hunting one you asked Mira to save. It was super easy, kinda boring really…"

Lucy's eyes widened as understanding filled her mind. "And the reward was-"

"A key!" Natsu finished for her just as he pulled a small, silver object from the pocket of his discarded clothes.

He placed the silver key firmly in her hands with a wide, sharp-toothed grin.

"N-Natsu, this is amazing! I-I don't know what to-"

"Thank me later." He interrupted impatiently. "C'mon, Luce, I wanna see who it is this time! Though, nothin' will be more surprising than __Loke__ comin' out of one of 'em..." The name came out with a grumble of annoyance.

"Okay." She agreed with a brow set in determination. "Okay, let's do this." Lucy lifted her arm, holding the key out before her. "Open, gate of the-er…wait, Natsu, I don't know the name of the…" Her words trailed off when a faint whisper of a constellation's name breezed through her thoughts. She cleared her throat and put faith in her instincts.

"Open, gate of the southern cross! Crumudgeon!"

A flash of light burst from the tip of her key and a cloud of smoke filled the room. Once it dispersed, a spirit beholding a head the shape of giant silver cross was revealed. Golden floral patterns adorned his face, along with a rather large cross shaped mustache. The peculiar spirit levitated before the stunned pair with its legs crossed beneath him in silence.

When Lucy was over the initial shock and bewilderment, she lurched forward with a smile. "H-Hi! My name is Lucy. Lucy Heartfilia."

The spirits head raised at the mention of her name, but otherwise made no movement.

"U-um…it's a pleasure to meet you. Uh, if it's okay with you, I would like to make a contract with you." Lucy stuttered along through the process. She was still nervous about making contracts with spirits, but she knew she could only push forward to gain confidence.

As she asked which days worked for the spirit, he only responded with either nods or shakes of his head. __Not much of a talker,__ she thought inwardly. __Like Plue__.

Once the contract part was out of the way, Lucy smiled gently. "So, um…Crumudgeon, was it?"

Natsu leaned forward. "Crumudwhat? That's kind of a mouthful, gramps…How about…Grandpa Crux?" He grinned at the spirit. "Easier to remember, isn't it?"

"Natsu!" Lucy squeaked. "Don't be rude to-"

"Do you wish to call me Crux, Miss Heartfilia?" The spirit spoke for the first time, startling Lucy and causing Natsu's grin to only widen even more.

"I-I, um…" Lucy stuttered, unsure of what to say. "Well, first, please call me Lucy."

The spirit nodded. "Very well. Then you may call me this…Grandpa Crux, if you wish."

Natsu and Lucy exchanged glances. The blonde rolled her eyes when he gave her a thumbs up, but smiled nonetheless.

"Okay, Crux." She began, turning her attention back to her newest companion. "It's good to know that you can talk. What else can you do?" She asked with a smile.

"I know all that goes on within the realm of the spirits. I am able to look up any information, scanning back countless generations, regarding celestial spirits and celestial mages. However, this knowledge is powerful, and not to be abused; therefore, the information which I can share is limited."

"Huh?" Natsu tilted his head in confusion.

Lucy, on the other hand, understood completely. Her eyes widened as a thought clicked into place in her mind. "So you can look up __any__ thing regarding celestial mages, past and present?"

Crux nodded.

"Then…" Lucy paused, her heart racing wildly in anticipation. "Then can you tell me where my mother is?"

The blonde was eagerly awaiting his reply when suddenly the spirit drooped forward, and a soft snore began emanating from him.

Lucy and Natsu exchanged yet another glance.

"Did he just…fall asleep?" She asked uncertainly.

"Well, he does look kinda old…" Natsu leaned in to take a closer look at the spirits face. "Maybe he's just takin' a quick snooze and-"

"Ah!" Crux jumped awake, scaring Natsu into yelling along with him. "Sorry, just scanning. It would appear that your mother is not here."

Lucy stared blankly at the spirit. __Really? That's it?__ She took in a deep breath. "Yes, we were able to gather that much, Grandpa Crux. But can you tell us where she-"

"She is not here." He repeated.

Lucy twitched. "We know that already." She said calmly. "But __where__ is-"

"She is not on Earth, Lucy Heartfilia."

Lucy froze. "W-what?"

Suddenly, a dream came rushing to the forefront of her mind. A dream she had only just had the night before. A dream about her mother…

 _ _You have to come find me, sweetie.__

Lucy's head began to shake back and forth on its own accord. There was no way this was real…If her mother wasn't on Earth, then where was she? It couldn't be that she was...no, Lucy couldn't even bring herself to _think_ the word. Her thoughts were a shambled mess. She couldn't even think straight, much less form a proper sentence.

Natsu took one look at Lucy before reaching over and squeezing her hand gently in his own.

She managed to shakily turn her head his way just as he began to speak. "Oi, Grandpa Crux. If she's not here on Earth, then can you tell us where she is?" Natsu asked in a strong, measured tone.

Lucy couldn't take her eyes off of the dragon slayer as she watched him become her strength. He knew what questions needed to be asked. So at a moment such as this, when words completely failed her, then he would ask them in her place. He helped carry her forward, time and time again.

Crux straightened up after scanning his information. He cleared his throat. "She currently resides in the place from which you came. Earthland."

Lucy inhaled sharply. "That…that's not possible. Surely, that can't be right. Are you sure?"

"I am sure."

Lucy's mind whirled and she began to feel dizzy from her own thoughts. "But how? I don't understand. How can she be there?"

"There are certain things that I cannot answer. I apologize, Lucy."

Natsu gave Lucy's hand another reassuring squeeze and she came back to her senses, though only slightly.

"N-no. It's okay. Thank you, Crux. You've been a great help to me. Thanks."

She closed the gate rather numbly and sat frozen in the same position. She didn't understand anything anymore. Had she really come all the way here, only to find out her mom was back where she had left from? And how was she even there? How could her mom even travel there without the King's Key?

Suddenly, she was pulled to her feet. "Well, let's get going then." Natsu said brightly.

When Lucy didn't reply, Natsu ducked down until his face was directly before hers and grinned. "Hey, no matter how weird it is, this is a good thing, right? Now we know where she is! You're one step closer to your mom. You can ask _all_ the questions you want once you find her." Natsu's wide smile softened. "Now, like I said; come on, Luce. Let's go get her!"

Lucy's lips pulled up into a small smile. She instantly realized that Natsu managed to __yet again__ chase her worries away with only just a few words. She wasn't sure how he could do it, sometimes she didn't even know why; but she knew one thing for sure. _That_ magic burned stronger and brighter than any flame she had ever seen.

OoOoOoO

Lucy was confident this time around when pulling the King's Key from her necklace. She'd finished packing her belongings rather quickly after their encounter with Crux, and now the pair stood in the middle of her living room, surrounded by luggage, ready to travel back to Earthland.

Lucy gave her house one last long look and said a silent goodbye. Then with the raise of her arm and a brilliant flash of light, they were off through the rabbit hole.

She'd envisioned the inside of the guild perfectly before taking off, so she knew without a doubt once they landed that the Key had taken them to the right place.

Surely enough, the moment their feet hit the ground, and light filled the hall, someone sounding an awful lot like Levy swore colorfully.

The light surrounding them hadn't even disappeared completely before Natsu burst out laughing hysterically. "Damn, Levy. D'you kiss Gajeel with that mouth?" He cackled. "Oh, wait. He might like that."

The rest of the light vanished, revealing Natsu and Lucy in the center of it amongst a pile of overflowing luggage.

"What the fuck…" Gajeel grumbled as he rubbed his eyes with disbelief. Lucy found it strange that he hadn't shot back at Natsu over the whole kissing comment yet.

Gray's eyes were nearly bulging from his head, with Juvia clutching onto his arm as if she'd seen a ghost. "It's just one thing after another in this guild…why am I even surprised?" He muttered while shaking his head.

Levy was holding a hand over her chest in shock and Lucy finally raised a brow. Was it really so surprising that they appeared in the guild so suddenly? It __is__ a wizard guild after all…Why did Levy look so frightened? As a matter of fact, Lucy noticed that __everyone__ seemed to be acting a bit strange.

Unless…something else was going on.

"Come on, guys, what kinda greeting is that? Hello to you all too, jeez." Natsu grumbled and crossed his arms.

" _ _Natsuuu!__ " A little blue ball of fur flew straight into Natsu's arms, knocking him back into a pile of luggage.

"Hiya, buddy!" Natsu grinned while affectionately rubbing Happy's head. "Good to know that at least _someone_ 's glad to see us. These other guys are losers, as usual, huh, Happy?" He joked.

"Natsu, that's not it. It-it's something else!" Happy's voice was distraught.

Natsu's face grew serious immediately. He rose to his feet and slid closer to Lucy, all the while holding onto Happy. "What is it?" He called out to the rest of the guild. It was only then that he caught on to their somber expressions. "What's wrong?" He asked once his eyes met Gray's.

The ice mage held his gaze evenly. "We have a few visitors." Gray answered. "It's Jellal's group."

* * *

 **And soooo the chaos begins! Things get crazy from here on out. I wanted to give our two main characters a little bit of calm time together before we set into the main conflict.**

 **Ahhhh, it's starting! Oh man, I'm so excited for the actionnn! But also very nervous at the same time. I hope you guys enjoy it!:D**

 **SOooOO, what'd you guys think? Any questions or thoughts? As you can see, someone new is coming into the story next chapter;)**

 **SulliMike23 : Lucy's mom is further away than she thought! Although, next chapter alllll will be revealeddd! Yay, finally! I'm really excited for this turning point in the story:) Thank youuu for reviewing! You're awesomeee!**

 **arcadea333 : AHhhhhh, I love how much Natsu cares about Lucy! He's so precious, I just want to hug him and pinch his cheeks! Hahaha. But seriously though, Bowser does the sameeee thing in every single Mario game and you'd think by now he would have learned but nooooo! Natsu's just gonna have to show him who's boss I guess:P Ahhhh, always trust in your instincts! Something fishyy is definitely up! BuTTTT, you get to learn soooo much next chapter, ahhh! ALso, I loved the snuggle time in last chapter! T^T I loved writing it. I just adore these two together, ugh, it hurtsssss! Yessss! WONDER TWIN POWERS ACTIVATED and I feel full of writing energy to bring you endless NaLu fluff! hehehe, thank you so much for reviewing and sharing in my obsessive fangirlyness and just being downright amazingggg! You're so great!**

 **The Age of Awesomeness : YES! Score! I'm glad I could make a fellow Fairy Tail enthusiast's day! Hehehe! And ahh, thank you so much! I'm really really glad that you're enjoying it so far! We aim to please:D But as to answer your question...HMMM. Well, I kind of dislike fics that make Lisanna out to be the bad guy. Like, all of the ones where people write her as a whore and trying to steal Natsu away from Lucy or blah blah. The list of examples are endless:P I also don't like fics where Lucy leaves the guild for petty reasons and then comes back years later trying to win people over. Lucy wouldn't do that! She values her friends way too much...Hmm, honestly, it's hard for to think of many others. I just really love Fairy Tail fics:p haha. What fanfics do you dislike? I'm curious now! Also, thanks for the question! That was fun:) I don't ever get questions like that!**

 **devnick16 : Oh my glob, thank you! I was really excited to post the last chapter because of our precious little NaLu babies! I love writing them getting closer to one another! I can't wait to write even more cute chapters in the future!**

 **peacerockgirl123 : AHHHH! Thank you so much! Your review made me smile! *slides down wall with you* I'm sorry it took me a while to get this one out, butttt, I'm ready to slide down even more walls with you now that I'm home and back on track with my life! Hehehe, here's to more NaLu! Yayyy! *melts into puddle***

 **FireShifter : Ahhh, it seems like all my chapters have been long awaited lately! I'm so sorry for the time it's been taking for them to come out! AHHH. I need to get it together! I'm ready to bring you many many many more chapters, much closer together! :D Natsu is definitely the type to get angry quickly, with his short fuse and all, but we all know he could never stay mad at Lucy for longg. And vice versa! They are both definitelyyyy in a little bit of denial! And they're both completely inexperienced in these things, so it's fun that they're going through all these new feelings and emotions together! They'll figure things out soon...ish...I hope! Hehehe, I loved Natsu experiencing things on Earth! That was fun to write! You're right about Layla! We'll find out much more next chapter! YAY! AHHHH, thank you for your continuous support! I really appreciate it and your wonderful reviews! I'm very happy to be back and settled in and I'm ready get the next chapter out to you guys within a couple of days:D **

**LovelyLovelyLove : OH my goodnesss! Thank you so much for your review! It made me really, very happy! I'm so glad that someone else enjoyed Natsu's reactions as much as I did! He's so adorable! The sleeping next to each other scene was a lot of fun to write! I just adore themmmm! Hahaha, it's a very real posibility that Natsu will completely melt that DS soon if he keeps losing! Hopefully he gets pretty good at it! Haha! We get to find out all about Layla next chapter, yay! Though it may or may not be good news! Also, I hope you enjoyed their outing into town! It was another fun thing to write about:) they're so precious! Anyways, thanks again soooo so much! You're awesome!**

 **Sam Bedson : Ahhhh, thank you soo so much! Wow! I'm so happy that you've enjoyed the story so far! And thank you so much for reviewing! Hehehe, Natsu playing with the DS was one of my favorite scenes to write of last chapter. He's so cute...As for how long this story is going to be...well, next chapter is going to mark the beginning of the main conflict! Or, I should say that it marks the beginning of the explanation of it. But anyways, I still haven't even scratched the surface of this story yet! I think that it might be 25% done, and that's a strong 'might'. I have the outline of everything and I kind of get overwhelmed sometimes over how much more there is to go, but then I think about how awesome all of you guys are and I get so excited thinking about sharing it with you! I really hope that you continue to enjoy this story and I can't thank you enough for your awesome words of encouragement! AHHHH, youuuu rockkkkk!  
**

 **Darlene : Ahhhhh, Darlene, thank youuuu! You are sooo awesome! T^T Thank you thank you thank youuuuu! You made me so happy again with another awesome review! I hope that you stick around for this journey and continue to enjoy this story until its farrrrr away ending! Hehehe, Natsu is the cutest. I loved typing him playing with the DS! I imagine he would get really really competitive and angry and more than likely end up melting it on accident...hahaha. And yesss! I'm so happy that you were able to figure that out about Lucy! She didn't want to think about her dream or connect it to any possible real danger at all. She was kind of just forcing herself not to think about it or else she thought she'd start freaking out. Plus, she really wanted to enjoy her time with Natsu on Earth, so she sort of just...didn't think about it. And yes! Natsu is so smart! No matter what people think, I truly believe that he understands things a lotttt more than people think. AHHH no, never apologize for long reviews! Your replies are making my day! Thank you so much, you're so sweet, and I really hope you're doing great as well! *jumps in the air with you* hehehe, I hope this update finds you soon and I hope you enjoy this kinda long chapter! Thankkk youuuuu!  
**

 **Edo-Salandria : AHHHHHH, wow, thank you so much! That makes me really really happy to hear! I'm glad that you liked it that much! AHhhh, welcome to the madnessssss! Yay, another NaLu fanatic to join our ranks *_* Hehehe, the smoochy smoochy will never happen! ...hahaha, jk, I kid, I kid. It'll definitely happen! Eventually. Hopefully. AHhhh, I'm so nervous about writing those chapters, it makes me anxious, ohhhh gosh! Haha, butttt I have time to figure it out. Ah. Ahem. Now thennn, Thank you so much for reviewing! You rock!:D  
**

 **AHHHHH, you guys are so great! Seriously, you're all incredible and each and every one of you makes me smile so much! Thanks for everything and thanks for sticking with me through this roller coaster ride! Things are about to get INTENSE. This is fine...it will be fine. We might all go a little mad, but we'll ultimately be fine. I think:)**

 **Thanks again! You guys rock:)**

 **Have a wonderful day/night!**

 **Xoxoxo**

 **-Mac**


	29. Scarlet Skies with Blue Nights

**Hello my lovely readers, and a very Merry Christmas to you all!:D And Happy Holidays for those that don't celebrate Christmas!:D And Seasons Greetings to those that don't celebrate winter holidays at all!:D**

 **Special thank you to Emma for editing this chapter for me! You're so great for doing it, and I hope you have a wonderful Christmas!:D Thank you so much!**

 **This chapter is a bit sad, but Jellal and Erza's past wasn't exactly the happiest, was it?:( My version is a bit different than what happened in the manga, but I hope you enjoy nonetheless ^_^**

 **So without further ado, here is chapter 29!**

 _ **P.S., STAY TUNED UNTIL THE VERY END OF THE CHAPTER FOR A SPECIAL CHRISTMAS EXTRA!:D**_

* * *

Lucy felt the air around her come to life in a furious heat. She glanced to her side just in time to get a look at Natsu's dangerous expression before he burst into flames and nearly _flew_ out of the guild, with Happy clinging to his back.

The blonde didn't hesitate even for a second before moving to follow after him. However, she didn't make it very far before soft, petite hands pulled her to a stop.

"Lu, wait." Levy's voice came out small.

Lucy whirled around and tugged gently on her arm, but the solid script mage didn't release her. "Levy, come on, we have to go with him. We can talk about everything later."

"No, Lucy, I don't think we should go."

"What?" Lucy asked with confusion. She pulled her arm once more, this time with more strength. "What do you mean? Levy, did you see his face just now? Something's wrong. I _have_ to go with him." Lucy begged.

Levy released Lucy's arm, only to take her hand into custody instead. "Lu, this is something that Natsu should do alone. He's been waiting to speak with Jellal for a really long time…" Levy's sad eyes were ultimately what led to Lucy's hesitation.

"B-but…is he okay?" Lucy glanced back at the doors that Natsu had just exited out of. "He looked really upset…"

A hand clamped down on Lucy's shoulder; this one a lot stronger and larger than Levy's. "He'll be fine. I promise." Gray's steady voice assured her.

Before Lucy could even turn her head to look up at him, the ice mage released her and moved towards the same exit as Natsu.

"Gray-sama..." Juvia murmured sadly, but stood still with her hands locked rather than following after him per usual.

Lucy tried to evaluate the somber atmosphere, but she knew too little of the situation to decipher what was going on. "I don't understand…who is this guy? Jellal…And why is everyone so…"

"Sad?" Levy guessed the word Lucy was thinking. "I wouldn't say it's so much as sad anymore, considering its been so long since everything happened." Levy's eyes flickered to Gajeel. "I'd say that now everyone's just feeling a little…hopeless. Or maybe helpless."

Lucy only grew more confused by Levy's vague explanation. Her eyes begged the blue-haired girl for more answers.

Levy sighed. "Come on, let's sit down. It's about time we told you a little bit more about Fairy Tail's history." She motioned stiffly towards an empty table, and the group that remained in the guild all took a seat.

Lucy kept glancing towards the exit, still contemplating whether or not she wanted to bolt after Natsu. But once Levy started speaking, she instantly had Lucy's complete, unwavering attention.

"Jellal Fernandez was, and still is to this day, the last known person to see all of the dragons before they disappeared."

OoOoOoO

Natsu didn't need to be told where they were because his nose led him straight to them. _The outsiders_. The scents of the group of people that weren't members of Fairy Tail. They were easy to find, convened outside around the corner of the guild wearing long, hooded cloaks.

Natsu stormed straight up to them with a scowl. " _Jellal._ " He greeted with vexation and smoke poured out of his mouth and nostrils.

The man, Jellal, turned around to face Natsu's direction and slowly lowered his hood. He revealed a head full of blue hair, adorning a solemn face with a strange red tattoo above and below one eye.

"Natsu." Jellal tipped his head forward in greeting. There was a long pause where the two males stared each other down. Jellal broke eye contact first, shifting his gaze to the ground. "I'm not here for the reason you think."

Natsu 'tch'ed and lifted a finger. " _You,_ " He shoved Jellal backwards with his raised finger. "Have _no idea_ what I'm thinking!"

Jellal steadied himself and eyed Natsu uncertainly. "I'm assuming it isn't very pleasant…"

"You bet your _ass_ it isn't!" Natsu shouted.

"Natsu." A new voice joined the fray, followed by a hand tightening around Natsu's shoulder and pulling him a step back.

"Calm down." Gray advised while pointedly fixing his gaze anywhere but at the two woman wearing hoods.

" _Calm down?!_ " Natsu incredulously backfired. "Are you serious, Gray?!" He jerked the hand off his shoulder and stepped to the side. "Go back inside, you stripper! Ugh, I so _did not_ miss your ugly droopy-eyed face while we were gone!"

Gray twitched. "Seriously? Is now really the time for this, Natsu?" He tried to keep his voice calm and steady. "Happy, go find Master. He should be here."

"Aye!" Happy called before propelling himself into the air and disappearing from sight.

Natsu, on the other hand, butted heads with the ice mage and growled, "Now is _always_ the time to kick your sorry ass. Fight me, Gray!"

Gray lost it, unable to keep his composure around the flaming idiot. "Oh, you want to go, ass flame?! _Bring it on!_ It's been _far_ too long since I kicked your ass!"

As an all out battle broke out between Natsu and Gray, the two girls beside Jellal lowered their hoods as well. One of them, a younger girl with pink hair, fretted as she watched the fight unfold. "Umm…Ultear, should we stop them?"

Ultear, the older woman with black hair, shook her head without taking her eyes off of Gray for even a second. "No…it looks like they missed each other while Natsu was gone...even if they'd die before admitting it. Let's let them duke it out for another minute."

OoOoOoO

Lucy sharply inhaled a surprised breath. The last person to see the dragons? What exactly did that imply?

"But I guess I'll start by telling you the story from the very beginning." Levy began. She scratched her head while recalling the specific details. "This is the story about how Erza came to join Fairy Tail."

Lucy's head tilted to the side. How did a story about Jellal and the dragons become a story about Erza too? She couldn't figure out how the two were related, so she silently listened, enraptured by the words of a story from the past.

"You see, Erza and Jellal grew up together in the same village. But that village was attacked and burned to the ground in a war with demons. A lot of men and women were slaughtered, leaving a majority of the children orphaned. The children were then sent off to a nearby orphanage, or at least, that's what people thought. The orphanage had actually been taken over by slave traders, though nobody knew it at the time." Levy paused to take a breath.

"Long story short, the slave traders basically turned the would-be orphanage into a horrible prison for child labor. They forced the children, tortured them even, to make goods for them to illegally sell on the black market."

Lucy gasped in horror. Poor Erza…She had no idea the strong, confident redhead had been through something so awful. But then again, Lucy realized, she didn't know a lot about _any_ of her friend's pasts.

"After a while, the orphanage attracted attention from the magic council because there were no kids actually being adopted _out_ of the home. However, before the council could intervene, the orphanage went through something even worse by attracting the attention of someone _else_." Levy continued.

"Jellal and Erza had stuck together and fought through the pain and torture while depending solely on each other. Until one day, Jellal just randomly snapped. Erza had never seen anything like it before. She said that one minute he was normal, and the next he was filled with rage. He went berserk and killed everyone, every single slave trader in the entire building. One boy, a child no less, took out around ten adults in a matter of minutes."

Lucy shivered. However, she couldn't entirely blame the kid for snapping the way he did…torture would cause psychological damage to _any_ one; the blonde hated to think what it could do to a defenseless child.

"After the attack, Jellal came back to his senses. Erza and Jellal fled the orphanage together. They feared that the magic council would take Jellal away for murdering all of the adults, even though they were nasty slave traders that had kidnapped and tortured children. The two of them didn't want to risk being separated, so they ran and hid. And then one day, Master found them." Levy smiled when she mentioned Master's name. "And he brought them back here." She gestured around the guild.

"They were hesitant, of course, after everything they had been through. I still remember when they got here, they wouldn't talk to anyone other than each other for _days_. Back then, there were _a lot_ less of us. They were the only kids aside from Gray and me at the time, so you could imagine my enthusiasm to befriend them. It took awhile, but after a few weeks they began to open up. After seeing that no one was trying to hurt them anymore, they took an interest in magic and started training. They thought they were finally getting a shot at a normal life…"

Lucy gulped. She knew by Levy's lowered gaze that something bad was about the happen in the story.

"After probably two months of them being here, Jellal and Erza were taking a small, easy job request on the outskirts of town. And that was when Jellal snapped again. Erza said it was like something had reawakened within him and he suddenly wasn't himself anymore. He disappeared. Erza searched day and night for weeks, but she couldn't find him anywhere. She returned to the guild feeling hopeless and poured herself into her training. It was a couple weeks after that when Natsu first appeared at the guild. The other dragon slayers wound up here by various means and years later after him. At the time, no one put together the fact that the dragon slayers lost their dragons _after_ Jellal disappeared from the guild. No one had any reason to believe that one had anything to do with the other. I mean, why would they?"

Levy smiled fondly once more when she moved on. "Things were peaceful after that for a while. Well, as peaceful as _Fairy Tail_ can possibly be anyway…we grew up together, and as the years passed, our family continued to grow." Her eyes shone with the happy memories.

"We didn't see Jellal again until years later. And it was so bizarre…he appeared as suddenly as he disappeared. We were all eating in this very same hall when he suddenly stumbled in, dirty and disheveled, and incredibly hungry. Erza actually fainted when he came in; she thought she was seeing a ghost. That'll probably be the only time I _ever_ see Erza do something like that." Levy laughed.

"Anyways, we fed him and got him cleaned up and into new clothes. Master and Erza bombarded him with questions but at the time, he didn't remember a single thing. His memory was almost entirely blank, he hardly even knew who he was. The only thing he remembered was Erza's name. Eventually, after enough asking around, that name was able to lead him back to Fairy Tail where they were reunited."

" _Aww._ " Lucy clamped a hand over her mouth when she realized it was her that had spoken. "Sorry," She squeaked. "I didn't mean to interrupt. It's just..so.. _cute_ that the only thing he remembered about himself was _her name!_ And it led him back to her!" Lucy's inner romantic squealed. She'd read way too many love novels…

"Oh, I know, right?" Levy agreed dreamily. "It's like the perfect romance story!"

"Ugh," Gajeel gagged with disgust. " _Women._ "

"Oh shush, you." Levy narrowed her eyes at him. "Don't act like you aren't a big romantic at heart. Anyone that dresses up in a suit and plays the guitar is _definitely_ into romance. You're just a closet romance enthusiast."

Gajeel gaped at her before composing himself and crossing his arms. "Tch. Whatever ya say shrimp. Believe whatever fantasies ya want."

Juvia giggled. She eyed Gajeel with familiarity. "Juvia agrees with that statement. Gajeel is definitely a closet romantic."

Gajeel glared. " _Can it_ , rain woman." He turned his glare to Levy. "Don't'cha got a story to finish or somethin'?"

"Right, right." Levy chuckled. "Where was I?"

"Jellal returned to Fairy Tail but doesn't remember anything." Lucy answered, eager to hear the rest.

"Oh, right! Okay, so…everything was calm for a while. Jellal was even beginning to get to know everyone here. He picked up his magic training where he left off. He even started to remember things about his life. The memories came slowly and chronologically. He remembered his childhood in the village, and growing up with Erza. Then he began remembering the war. And after that, the orphanage. Those nights were the hardest for him to remember, and it did a number on Erza too as she relived the memories with him. After that, he remembered coming to Fairy Tail. Everyone was starting to get anxious because they knew that soon the memories would come about why he disappeared."

Lucy felt herself growing anxious too, knowing she was about to find out the same thing.

"One night, they all came flooding back. Everything that had happened since the moment he left Fairy Tail. I remember him panicking as he remembered everything. For a long time he just held his head and rocked back and forth. It was actually Natsu, surprisingly, that calmed him down enough to talk. Erza was terrified of what awful thing she was going to hear happened to him. But no one could have even possibly guessed what he was going to say..."

"Sheesh, out with it, shorty." Gajeel impatiently pushed as he leaned forward on the edge of his seat. Although his face _tried_ to come across as if he was bored, Lucy could tell that he was secretly getting really into Levy's storytelling.

Levy stuck her tongue out at him before continuing. "Jellal took one look at Natsu, whom he'd come to think of as a friend, and it was like all of the life drained from his eyes. 'I don't deserve to be here', Jellal said. 'I don't deserve to be here with you. With any of you.' It was heartbreaking and we didn't understand. But then he explained what little he remembered." Levy paused to take a deep breath.

"He had no idea why he left the guild; just that it was like something pulled him out and drove him forward to a place far away. He said he remembered a woman with long black hair. He met up with her and began working under her with no questions asked. She worked for another group, one that Jellal never met. At the time, he had no idea what he was doing. He just blindly and obediently followed orders. Sometimes he'd gather things, sometimes he'd build things, sometimes he'd hurt people…anything that the woman with black hair asked him to do, he did."

Lucy felt her heart grow heavy for the boy named Jellal that she had never even met before.

"One of the many tasks he was assigned was the one that weighs heavily on him now. He was given a map and ordered to travel to each marked location; there were five total. He was told that at each location he would find a dragon, along with a human child. His instructions were to find the five dragons and, while the children were sleeping, give each of them a specific message."

"What was the message?" Lucy asked immediately, unable to contain her curiosity.

"A location along with a date and time. He told all five dragons the same thing. When they asked whom the message was from, he simply said 'Z', for that was all he was told. Once he said that, the dragons grew very serious. And then he left." Levy paused to look over at Gajeel. He was seemingly uninterested, but Levy silently reached across the table and took one of his giant hands into her own anyways.

"Well, once Jellal recalled all of this to us, Natsu's response was automatic. He asked what the date was that Jellal had been instructed to give to the dragons. And Jellal, of course, responded truthfully. July 7th, year X777. Which was the same date that the dragons disappeared, never to be found again. Leaving five children alone without their parents...we were all silent after hearing this news because we knew what it meant..."

Lucy herself was silent for the very same reason, but Levy explained anyway, confirming Lucy's suspicion.

"For whatever reason, the dragons were given a message from Jellal to rendezvous at a specific location on a certain date. After that, they were never seen again. Whatever it was, no one could deny that it had been a set up. A trap of some sort. Still to this day we haven't come close to finding a single clue as to where they went…"

Everyone was silent for a moment as Lucy absorbed this information. Her mind was swarming as she replayed everything that Levy had told her. "So…" She finally began. "What happened next?"

"Well, Natsu's response was automatic again, though this time it was a lot more violent. I'm sure he regrets it now…but he was overcome with emotion and rage. He attacked blindly, and for a second we thought he was going to tear the guild to the ground. Erza eventually came to her senses and knocked him out. After that, Jellal and Erza went outside. When Erza came back in, Jellal was gone again."

Lucy ached for Natsu, but she continued to focus on Levy's voice.

"It took awhile before she opened up about what they talked about outside. But eventually she told us the story. Jellal was filled with nothing but remorse and regret now that he had all of his memories back...He had no idea why he had done the things he did, nor did he know if he would suddenly lose control of his mind again. He didn't want to risk endangering anyone else in case he snapped. He also didn't feel as though he deserved to spend any time around the people that he had hurt so badly…so he told Erza goodbye and he left again. He promised he would only return once he righted all of his wrongs."

Lucy's eyes watered. "Poor Erza…" She said softly.

Levy nodded her agreement with downcast eyes. "Erza was sad, though she was strong enough not to admit it. But it didn't go unnoticed by us, of course. Natsu was infuriated. Not for what he had found out about Igneel and the other dragons; though, don't get me wrong, it took him a _long_ time to look past that. After awhile he finally realized that Jellal _wasn't_ himself when he had done all of those things for the mysterious black haired woman. By believing in that, Natsu was able to find peace and quench his anger towards Jellal for the incident with the dragons. However, he was even _angrier_ that Jellal was _still_ hurting Erza's feelings. He searched for Jellal for months but had no luck in finding him."

Lucy's gaze shifted towards the guild doors again and she wondered how Natsu was doing…she felt as though she knew him a bit better after learning a little more of his past.

"Of course, we tried to look for him too. We also tried looking into the disappearance of the dragons again since we had new information. However, 'Z' was not enough to go on, so we didn't get anywhere with our searches. It was only by pure chance that Natsu, Erza, and Gray met Jellal again a year later while on a job. They were on an island inhabited by monsters that were tricked into thinking they were cursed humans. Their 'job' was to help the islanders break the curse, though in the end the curse was all in their minds."

Juvia sighed, which brought Lucy's attention to the water mage. The bluenette looked incredibly despondent as she murmured her next few words. "Oh, Gray-sama…this part of the story makes Juvia so sad…"

Lucy raised a brow. Does something happen to Gray?

"Yeah, I guess you're going to learn a little bit of Gray's story too." Levy confirmed. "It's stories like this that remind me what a small world we live in. So many things are connected and we don't even realize it…" Levy shakes her head before continuing her travels into the past with Lucy.

OoOoOoO

After a particularly nasty punch to the face from Gray, Natsu's eyes widened dramatically and he jumped to his feet.

" _Wait!_ " He exclaimed seriously.

Gray shakily stood to his feet, huffing loudly with overexertion from their fight. " _What_ , flame breath, finally giving up?" He laughed breathlessly.

" _As if,_ freezer burn!" Natsu snarled while shaking a fist Gray's direction. His glare rotated back around to face the three wearing cloaks. "I just remembered that I have more important matters to deal with right now." He seethed.

Gray sighed. "Look, man, I know this is an emotional thing and all but-"

"Shut it, perv. I get it. I'm calm, okay?" Natsu interrupted with a growl. "I just gotta say one thing."

Jellal met Natsu's gaze, fully prepared to take whatever was coming to him.

Natsu stepped forward and crossed his arms. "You should know that _no_ body blames you for what happened. None of you." His eyes held Jellal's gaze without wavering. "So whenever you want to start looking past your own nose and stop wallowing in self pity, then you can come back here, okay? There's a place for all of you here in Fairy Tail."

Gray smirked at Natsu's words. He'd been half positive that Natsu was going to walk right up and punch Jellal in the face. The other half of him expected something like this to happen instead. He was happy it was the latter.

Jellal's eyes lowered, but not before Natsu caught a glimpse of them looking pained. "You may call it self pity, but I feel no such thing as pity for someone like me. I only wish to fix the things that I have done while simultaneously ridding the world of the same darkness that once haunted me."

Natsu snorted. "Oh yeah? Well why don't'cha start by tryin' to fix it here, idiot?" He rolled his eyes. "You have no idea how you've made Erza feel, ya know that?"

Jellal's head lifted at the mention of the redhead. His eyes widened slightly.

"That's enough, Natsu." A new voice, filled with authority, commanded. Master and Mira walked into view with solemn expressions. "Welcome back, boy." The old man greeted when he arrived next to the dragon slayer.

"Hiya, Gramps!" Natsu said enthusiastically. "Man, I have soo many things to tell you! Luce and I-"

"I want to hear all about it, Natsu, but I'm afraid now might not be the best time." Master spoke gruffly.

Natsu grumbled, but Makarov continued as if he hadn't heard anything. "As it turns out Jellal is actually here for an important reason. It seems as though Erza requested him to come."

" _Erza?_ " Natsu asked, dumbfounded. His eyes flickered around the area as if hoping she would appear.

"Does that mean she's back?" Gray questioned anxiously. "She's been gone a really long time."

"No, I'm afraid not." Master sighed. He took an envelop from Mira's hands and held it out to Jellal. "It appears that we might have a problem on our hands." He said, while Jellal's eyes scanned the paper inside.

Once he was finished, Jellal had visibly paled. His eyes locked with Makarov's hard stare.

"What? What is it?" Natsu pestered impatiently.

"Natsu," Mira began gently. "I think you should probably go get Lucy. We should explain everything to the both of you, together…"

* * *

 **Dun dun dunnn, anddddd _fin!_**

 **I love that our friends are back together!**

 **Alright, so, what do we know now? Jellal and Erza had a rough upbringing. Jellal seemed to be under some sort of mind control, ya? On the bright side, at least all that sad stuff was in the past and he seems to have control of his mind now!**

 **Next chapter is already written! Kya! I'm actually a little bit ahead now! AND THIS CHAPTER DIDN'T TAKE A MONTH TO COME OUT! I'm getting back in my groove guys! Hehehe.**

 **Well, any questions? Who was the black-haired woman telling Jellal what to do? What happened with the dragons? What do you think is in the envelop at the end of the chap? Why did Erza ask Jellal to come to Fairy Tail? What happened with Gray in the past? I wanna hear your thoughts, theories, and questions!:D Also, if anything is confusing, ask away! I'll explain everything:)**

 **Next chapter we get a flashback into the past of our favorite little ice mage! Along with some other shocking information...and a long awaited reunion! _Stay tuneddd_ ~**

 _ **KEEP READING AFTER THE REPLIES TO THE REVIEWS TO READ THE SPECIAL CHRISTMAS EXTRA!**_

 **SulliMike23 : Hiii, and Happy Holidays! Thank you so much for reviewing! Jellal is here, yay, new characters!:D Now that we know a little bit of his background, we get to learn about the reasons behind his visit to Fairy Tail. :)  
**

 **peacerockgirl123 : AHHHH, thank you so much for reviewing again and for such kind words T^T *claps hands together and faints* Also, thanks so much for your patient encouragement! That means a lot:) Happy Holidays! Have a wonderful day! Oh and hmmmm...what do you wonder about Jellal now? hehehe  
**

 **FireShifter : I'm so happy that I've finally released and update and it didn't take a whole month for it to come out! I was really excited to be able to do that again, haha. My life has finally slowed down to the point that I have free time again, yay! In reply to your last review, I loved writing their trip to Earth! Natsu has lots to learn still about her modern life, but on the opposite side, Lucy has just as much to learn as well. I enjoy writing them learn together! And yeah, Lucy definitely had to put that rude guy in his place! Your question about Layla will be revealed very soon! But hopefully this chapter answered a few of your questions about Jellal. I always felt so deeply for his character in the manga because of everything he went through. I just couldn't bear to make him a bad guy in my story! Thank you so much for reviewing and have a wonderful Christmas!:D  
**

 **arcadea333 : AHhhhhh, something fishy is alwayssss going onnnnn!:D YAYYYYY for the FLUFFFFFF! I really hope you enjoy the Christmas special because it's filled with the fluffiest fluff that has ever fluffed! Hahaha, I think I'm going to have think of a pokemon lineup for Natsu...and yesssss, shipping potential everywhereeee! Jerzaaaaa ahhhhhhh! She cracks me up with her strawberry cake! XD AHHHH, She's such a pure little sugar roll of adorableness! Ahhh, you asked where I went on my trip! Thanks for asking and of course I don't mind, my wonderful fangirl twin! I went to Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas, San Juan Puerto Rico, St Thomas, and Grand Turk! It was amazing...I KISSED A STING RAY. It was salty and slimy...but hey, I'll probably only ever get to say that once, right? Haha. AHHHH, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR REVIEWING, AS ALWAYS! ANDDD, MERRY CHRISTMAS! I hope you a wonderful holiday!  
**

 **The Age of Awesomeness : Ahhh, thank you for another awesome review! Your questions are fun and they make me excited thinking about the answers! It's just fun to discuss different fandoms, especially Fairy Tail! ^_^ I don't like fics that are really cliche either! I try to avoid writing things like that, although I'm not sure that my writing is completely free of them T^T Hahaha. Ohhhh, man...what fandoms am I in...AHH, that's hard! So many, haha! As far as manga/anime fandoms go; Noragami (AHHH I'M IN LOVE WITH IT), SAO (ahh, there's a lot of hate on that one though!), Tokyo Ghoul (that one's a bit hardcore...), and Naruto. Speaking of Naruto, they just finished animating the final chapters of the manga into the anime and I'm still a little distraught over it! Haha. That's just a select few. A lot of the fandoms that I'm apart of are all long gone because of the series ending and whatnot, so I didn't list a lot of them. As far and other fandoms, not anime related; SO MANY, AHH! Okay, where to begin...Doctor Who (WONDERFUL SERIES), Adventure Time (kiddish, I know, but it really is a great show! A lot of great messages behind it), Steven Universe (I used to HATE this one because of the character style, but now I love it! It's beautiful with beautiful meanings! And the music is awesome!), The Walking Dead (I HAVE SO MUCH TO SAY ABOUT THIS ONE, I COULD GO ON FOR DAYS, BUT I WON'T, IT'S JUST AMAZING), Marvel Universe (And I mean the entireee universe, and multiple universes, every character, every story, even the comics, just perfect, so perfect!), and Harry Potter (because I grew up with the characters and they will forever be ingrained inside my heart :3). Wow, I'm so sorry, that got a lot longer than I planned! I went overboard, haha. As far as hating fandoms go, I can't really think of any that I despise..If I think of any, I'll get back to you!:D Okay, now I have to know your answers to the same question! I'm extremely curious! Thanks again for reviewing, and have a wonderful Holiday!  
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 **Mezatron : HI! Thank you so much for reviewing and reading my story! AHhh, your words mean so much to me, thank you! I don't hear many comments about my writing style so that made me really happy:) I'm glad you're along for the ride, I promise to do everything I can to end this story with a bang! Also, I know things have been slower with the NaLu, I hope it hasn't been too bad! They just don't seem like the type to rush:P haha, buttt, they've gotten to a point where things will start escalating now ^_^ YAY because I've been waiting so long to write ittt!:D YES. Thank you so much, Merry Christmas!  
**

 **Darlene : Hiiiii! Oh, wow, I'm so happy that you checked back for this story! Thank you so much, you have no idea how much that means to me! I'm sorry that the last update took so long, but this one came out quicker, yay! I'm gonna try to start posting once a week again:) Oh, have you thought about making an account so you can subscribe to updates? I know some people just prefer to have a guest account though, so that's understandable!:D In reply to your review, yesss, I completely agree with everything you said about Lucy! I love her because she's relatable! But she incredible strong and kindhearted, it makes me want to be like her ^_^ AHH, I hope you enjoyed this one, even though it was mostly a flashback! And I hope you enjoy the Christmas Special! EEP! HUGS! *hugs you tight back* Hehehe, I love hugs! Thank you so much for being so kind, I'm incredibly happy that you discovered this story! And I'm thrilled that you plan to read til the end! *whispers* I already have plans for a sequel of sorts. Hehe, yay! I really wanna start drawing a doujinshi too! 0.0 AHHH, YOU'RE WELCOME and I'm so happy that you're enjoying the story so far! I hope I continue to do it justice! T^T *cries from happiness with you* Merry Christmas! Until next time!:D *waves from my puddle of happy tears*  
**

 **Ahhhh, as always, you guys rockkkk my worlddd! AHHH! Each of my reviewers are so wonderfully unique and fun and you all make me so happy! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!**

 **I'm so beyond thankful!**

 **So, as promised, here is a special Christmas/Holiday extra as a little treat to you guys!**

 _ **PLEASE NOTE: THIS EXTRA HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE PLOT OR THE TIMELINE OF MY CURRENT STORY.**_

 **Just consider this a special holiday oneshot!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

A Very Fairy Christmas

The small town of Magnolia was covered in a wintry flurry of snowflakes, each building dotted with wondrous, twinkling lights. For once, the town was peaceful; quiet even. Some may say that it was the holiday spirit, filling everyone with happiness rather than their usual desire for mischief. Other more knowledgeable citizens would undoubtedly say that this peace was thanks to the last-minute preparations being made for the annual Fairy Tail Christmas party…because everyone who has lived in Magnolia for more than a year knows that as soon as their party starts, that apparent 'peace' goes flying right out the window.

It was one particular home, the home responsible for hosting the party this year, that was _especially_ busy with last minute arrangements.

"Nastu," Lucy's slightly panicked voice called from their bedroom. "Can you please take the casserole out of the oven?"  
Natsu was silent. His brow was scrunched together and his eyes were fixed in a glare. The recipient of the cold, hateful stare; a box of Christmas lights. Er, well… _three_ boxes of Christmas lights to be exact. How was he even supposed to put them on the tree? Was there a correct method? Do the ornaments go on first? What about the garland? It seemed like every single year he attempted to do this detestable act and every single year Lucy scolded him even more on how terrible it looked.

"Natsu?" Her voice impatiently rang out once more. "Did you get it?"

"Mmhm, yeah…" Natsu answered distractedly, eyes never leaving the vile mountain of Christmas tree decorations. Why did she even ask him to do this in the first place? He never got it right! It never measured up to her expectations. And what was so great about the tree anyway? Why did it have to look so perfect? They take it down every year as soon as Christmas was over! Natsu just couldn't comprehend why anyone made such a big fuss about how great a tree looked…but he at least knew from Gray and Gajeel's stories that he wasn't the only one who had to suffer through this each holiday season.

Lucy called from the room once more, breaking Natsu out of his brooding reverie. "Have you finished the tree yet?"

Natsu let out a groan of frustration. "Yep, just about done!" He shouted back as he glared at the numerous still-completely-packed boxes of decorations.

There was a long silent pause from Lucy. And then "Natsu Dragneel, you better not be lying to me!"

Natsu's eyes rolled dramatically as an annoyed hand ran through his hair.

"You need to finish that tree and then we need to get the tables set up for the food and drinks. You also need to find Happy and tell him to do something about the piles of fish around the house, or else I'm throwing them all away."

As the list of things to do dragged on, Natsu began to tune out and continue his glaring at retched Christmas lights. That is, until something was said that captured his full, undivided attention.

"We also need to get- _oww!_ " Lucy's to-do list was cut off with a sharp cry of pain and Natsu was in front of the bedroom door in an instant.

He attempted to turn the handle only to find it locked. "Luce, what's wrong?" He spoke anxiously through the wooden door.

"N-nothing! I'm fine. Don't come in!" Lucy panicked.

Natsu almost turned away with a shrug until a coppery scent filled his nose. "Lucy, are you bleeding?" He asked urgently.

"It's fine, Natsu! Don't come in yet!"

"Screw that." Natsu snarled. "Open the damn door, Lucy, or I'm breaking it down."

Pause. "…You wouldn't."

"I'll give you three seconds to open this door."

"Natsu." She warned.

"Three."

"Don't you dare!"

"Two."

"Natsu, I swear to-"

 _Crash._ A loud, splintering noise cut through Lucy's sentence and the now-busted door flew open on its hinges.

The dragon slayer stormed inside to find Lucy sitting on the direct center of the bed, surrounded by an explosion of multicolored yarns and stings. Her shocked, speechless expression quickly transformed into an irate look of terror.

"That was _not_ three seconds!" She screeched.

"I lied." Natsu stated without a shred of remorse as he bounded onto the bed and crawled over to her. "What happened? Where are you hurt?"

Lucy narrowed her eyes and pounded her tiny fists against his chest. "Oh no you don't! Don't even try changing the subject! You are in _so_ much trouble! _Look_ at our door!"

Natsu laughed halfheartedly and picked up her hand. Though she hadn't told him where her injury was, his sensitive nose could pinpoint exactly where the blood was coming from. He pulled her hand up to eye level and thoroughly examined. On the very tip of her finger was a pin drop of deep red liquid.

"See?" Lucy huffed. "I told you it wasn't a big deal! I just pricked it on accident. You just _always_ have to go and overdo _every_ thing, don't you? You realize we have the whole guild coming over tonight, right?!"

Natsu listened to her nagging for another few moments before sticking the tip of her finger in his mouth, effectively and abruptly ending her rant. Lucy froze mid-sentence, watching him with fascination through wide eyes. He didn't break eye contact as he sucked gently on her minor wound, causing the whole experience to feel a lot more intimate. When he no longer tasted any blood he released her hand with one final lick.

Lucy was still frozen in place, hardly even breathing. Natsu smirked. He would never get tired of witnessing the effect he had on her.

"No fair." Lucy pouted. "Distracting me when you're supposed to be in trouble is against the rules. You play dirty."

Natsu's smirk intensified and he leaned in closer to her. "Oh, you want to play dirty? Why didn't you say so?"

Lucy inhaled sharply and quickly covered a hand over Natsu's mouth. "Nat-suuu. Now is not the time. We, as in you, still have _so_ much to do before this party!"

Natsu groaned and fell backwards, lying flat on his back. "But Lushiii." He whined.

"No buts." She reprimanded. Her eyes traveled back to their bedroom entrance and a scowl crept onto her face. "I can't believe you actually broke our door. And over a stupid finger prick! I _told_ you not to worry; I'm not _that_ fragile, you know!"

Natsu moved so that he was now laying beside her. "Yeah, _you_ might not be." His gaze traveled down her body and landed on her stomach. "There's no such thing as bein' too careful, though..." He murmured through half-lidded eyes as he lifted a hand and lovingly caressed Lucy's round, protruding belly. "Not when you're growin' my little ass kicker in there."

Lucy snorted, but all signs of anger had been completely eradicated from her features. "Ass kicker?" She questioned with a soft smile before covering his hand on her stomach with her own. "And what if it's a girl, hm?"

Natsu flashed his signature fanged grin. "If it's a girl then she'll be an even _bigger_ ass kicker, just like her mom."

Warmth filled Lucy's body and her cheeks blossomed with a brilliant rosy tint. She was amazed that even after all this time together with Natsu, he was still able to make her heart race. Amazed, and beyond thankful.

"Okay." She caved. "You're forgiven for the door. But you _will_ be replacing it tomorrow!"

He quickly agreed before she could get angry again. "So," He began curiously. "How'd you prick your finger anyway? And what's with all this yarn?"

Lucy flushed. She appeared completely caught off guard by the question and grew rigid like a deer trapped in headlights. "Uh…Well, you see, um…" She floundered for words.

Natsu lifted a brow and Lucy sighed. She pulled back the covers to reveal a folded up wad of clothing. "I didn't want you coming in yet because I was trying to finish it…" She said as she shoved the wad into his hands.

Natsu sat up quickly as curiosity got the best of him. He unfolded the item and held it out in front of him. The wad turned out to be a sweater of some sort with green and red stripes, and stitched right on the center was a giant blue blob with differently sized eyes. Natsu tilted his head as he peered at it, but try as he might, he just couldn't figure out what the mysterious blue blob was.

"I was trying to get it done for you to wear tonight." Lucy said nervously. "The whole guild wears Christmas sweaters every year during the party, but last year you somehow managed to burn yours into a pile of ashes. And I get really bored here at home since I'm not able to go on jobs anymore, so I decided to try and knit you a new one. But as it turns out, I'm not very talented with a needle…" She rambled on.

Natsu glanced at the blonde. "I see." He said. "And this blue, um, thing on the front is…?"

Lucy groaned. "It's Happy! It's supposed to be Happy!"

Natsu choked back laughter and fell forward in a coughing fit as a result.

"You hate it." Lucy stated. "I knew you'd hate it! Ugh, and I spent all this time working on it and trying to make it perfect. Stupid, so stupid. I should have just bought you a new one!"

Natsu recovered in time to look up and see her eyes brimming with tears. _Oh no_. Pregnancy hormones were Natsu's absolute worst nightmare. Lucy cried at just about everything now. Everything that didn't make her angry, of course. And then there were the times when she'd get angry _and_ cry; those were _dreadful_.

The worried dragon slayer bolted up before a breakdown could begin. "No, no, no, I love it! It looks great, Luce!" Natsu immediately pulled the sweater over his head, grinning proudly as he wore it. "It looks just like Happy! He'll be thrilled when he sees there's a sweater made after him." Natsu internally gulped. He'll have to somehow warn Happy beforehand to act excited about it .

Lucy sucked in a breath and wiped her eyes. "R-really? You think so?"

"I know so!" Natsu pulled Lucy against his chest. "Thank you for making it for me. Its _way_ more special than some sweater you could have bought at a store. And I even promise to _try_ not to burn this one."

Lucy giggled happily and Natsu's shoulders sagged with relief. _Phew. Crisis averted._

"I'm glad you like it. Maybe I can make Happy one too before-" Lucy stopped talking abruptly and pulled herself out of Natsu's embrace. "Natsu, what is that smell?" She asked sharply. "Is something _burning?_ "

Natsu paled. Oh _crap._

" _You didn't take the casserole out, did you?!_ "

"Whelp, I, uh, can see you're pretty busy in here, Luce, so I'll leave you to it, and, umm…later, bye!" Natsu flew off the bed and out of the room so fast that Lucy didn't even have time to blink.

"NATSU!" She screamed.

He ignored her as best he could and ran into the kitchen, hoping beyond hope that the casserole was even a little bit salvageable. Of course, it wasn't. When he pulled it out of the oven it was a charred, smoking black mess.

The sound of the bed creaking alerted Natsu that Lucy was leaving the bedroom, presumably to come into the kitchen in order to yell some more. He began to panic and pace across the kitchen. Then an idea popped into his head.

He yanked open the kitchen window with a flourish and threw the casserole out into the cold, dish and all. He winced as he heard the glass shatter on the ground and slammed the window shut. Problem solved. If she couldn't see the tarnished casserole, then she couldn't get mad, right? Natsu was positive that his logic was sound.

He wiped sweat from his forehead and let out yet another sigh of relief.

And then.

" _YOU HAVEN'T EVEN_ STARTED _ON THE TREE YET?!"_

"UGHHH!" Natsu's hands threw up in frustration. "Coming, _dear!_ " His voice dripped with sarcasm as he scrambled into the living room.

The next hour sped by with Lucy barking orders and waddling around the house inspecting every little thing. The tree _finally_ got finished, after Natsu somehow hysterically managed to tangle himself up in a string of Christmas lights. When it was time for Lucy to shower and get ready, she demanded that Natsu run to the store and buy a premade casserole to replace the homecooked one that he ruined.

By the time he returned, Lucy was smiling and happy again. These mood swings were _impossible_ to follow.

People started pouring in shortly after that, and all of the decorating and the preparations became immediately worth it.

"Ghihi, looks like bunny girl swallowed a whole planet." Gajeel joked as a greeting. A _dangerous_ greeting that had Lucy's eye twitching.

"Um, Gajeel, will you ever _not_ be rude?" Levy growled. Her face morphed into a smile when she turned towards Lucy. "Lu, you look beautiful!" She gushed as she ran forward to hug her best friend.

"Juvia agrees!" Piped in the water mage that had just walked in. "Lucy is glowing." Juvia rubbed Lucy's belly with affection. "Juvia can not wait to be an auntie!" She squealed.

Gray smirked at the sight before his eyes traveled over to Natsu. "What's up with that sweater, ash brain? Didn't know this was an ugly Christmas sweater party."

Natsu shook his head back and forth fervently, signaling Gray to cease talking immediately.

Thankfully, Lucy didn't seem to hear.

"Hello, Lucy." Erza greeted as she walked in, followed closely behind by Jellal carrying five bakery boxes. "I brought strawberry cake." The redhead stated proudly.

" _Five_ strawberry cakes, to be exact." Jellal added with exasperation as he searched for a place to set them down.

"You can never have enough strawberry cake at a party." Erza chided. "As such, I would like to point out that _one_ of them is for everyone to enjoy. The other four are for me alone." She said with a dangerous tone.

Everyone laughed wholeheartedly.

"Uhh, Lu, what happened to you bedroom door?" Levy asked with a sweat drop.

"Please don't ask." Natsu begged, but Lucy was already egged on.

"Natsu, of course, overreacting again. What else could have possibly happened?" Lucy crossed her arms with annoyance.

Erza's eyes narrowed and her head whipped to the side to face the dragon slayer. " _Natsu."_ She seethed. "You're not doing anything _dangerous_ in this house with your wife being pregnant, I hope?"

Natsu audibly gulped. "N-no ma'am."

"Good. Lucy, you call me if something like this happens again. I will teach him a lesson."

Lucy giggled and went to greet some more people that had just walked through the front door. And so as the house filled up, and the bickering chaos that was their guild grew louder, the peaceful atmosphere in the town of Magnolia officially ended. And the annual Fairy Tail Christmas party officially began.

 ** _Fin._**

 ** _Merry Christmas Everyone!_**

 ** _XOXO_**


	30. Together

**Hello everyone! :D**

 **Did you all have a wonderful New Years? I hope 2017 has been treating you wonderfully so far!:D I had a bit of writers block for awhile because I got reallyyy sick for a little over a week...But, all better now! And energy and inspiration are flowing through me once more!:D**

 **Speaking of inspiration, I recently read a fanfic on here called ' Fairy Tail GO!' written by _mushi0131_! It's an ongoing fic and it is absolutely phenomenal! Her writing is spectacular! If you get a chance, I highly recommend checking it out!:D**

 **Anywho, I'm excited to share a pretty long chapter with you all today! It wound up being about 25 pages long and I don't even really understand how! Haha. _To Emma_ , thank you so much for editing this one! It was super long but you helped make it so much better by catching the grammatical mistakes and errors that I missed! You rock:)  
**

 **Also, yay! 30 whole chapters! I wouldn't have come this far without all the support from you all, so thank you! You guys rock:3**

 **I hope you enjoy!**

 **Let me know what you think ^_^**

 **Ciao~**

* * *

Lucy absentmindedly fiddled with the enchanted lacrima bracelet she wore as she waited for Levy to continue speaking. She often found herself touching the crystal whenever she was worried and Natsu wasn't around to comfort her with his presence. It had been awhile since he'd disappeared to confront the mysterious Jellal and she was beginning to fret over his long absence.

But Gray had assured her that everything would turn out all right. In fact, he was very confident when he promised Lucy they'd be fine. She just had to put her faith in the ice mage and believe that Natsu would handle the situation correctly.

Speaking of Gray, that was when Levy started to speak, beginning the tale that took them on a trip into his past, immediately forcing Lucy to focus on the bluenette's words and cease her insipid worrying.

"I'll start by telling you a bit about Gray's upbringing. That way it will make more sense when I explain everything that happened on Galuna Island." Levy started.

"That's the island inhabited by the monsters, right?" Lucy guessed.

"Yes, exactly. Although 'monsters' is a pretty strong word; they're all very nice, really." Levy tapped her chin in thought. "Anyways, Gray." She paused. "He had a pretty similar tragedy happen to him that happened to Erza and Jellal as well."

Lucy frowned. It seemed to be a common theme for Fairy Tail mages to have such heart-wrenching back stories…herself included.

"He grew up in a small, seemingly peaceful village with his mom and dad. However, they both lost their lives in a devastating attack during the war, leaving Gray alone as an orphan. It was the same war that wreaked havoc on Erza's village, in fact."

"The war against demons…" Lucy mumbled, recalling the blue-haired girl's previous mention of the travesty. A shiver ran down her spine at the thought of ever confronting a demon.

"Right." Levy confirmed before continuing. "So Gray was taken in by a woman named Ur, an incredibly powerful and kindhearted mage. She also gave refuge to another child, Leon, whom had lost his parents during the war as well. On her own she raised the two boys, along with her own daughter, Ultear, and taught them how to use magic."

Lucy silently wondered why Gray was alone at Fairy Tail. If he was raised with two other children, then where were they? Levy continued speaking before Lucy had the opportunity to ask.

"Ur raised them as a family and before long they began to feel like one…" Levy eyes drifted off to the side, indicating a sad turn of events was coming to the story once more. "They weren't together long enough, though, before there was another incident…A demon attacked; the same demon that killed Gray's parents. He was distraught, of course, and blinded by emotion. You can't blame him really…I think any of us would have tried to seek revenge in his state of mind."

Lucy's gut clenched. She feared that she knew where the story was going..

"Anyways, Ur wasn't going to let anything happen to her children. A parent would stop at nothing to make sure their kids were safe. So when Gray went after the demon, it got angry and tried to kill him but she fought back the monster long enough to allow her kids to retreat. And then Ur died protecting her children the only way she knew how; by sacrificing her own life to take the demon's as well."

Lucy's head bowed forward without really meaning to. She squeezed her eyes shut and had a quick moment of silence for all the loved ones that her dear friends lost during those hard times. _I'm so sorry, Gray. And Erza. Jellal. And…Natsu._

She lifted her head when she heard Levy continue speaking, but the heavy thoughts still weighed on her heart.

"During the chaos of the battle, Ultear, Leon, and Gray were separated. Gray wound up at Fairy Tail, while Leon wound up at a different guild called Lamia Scale. Eventually they met each other by chance, but they had already found homes in their respective guilds, so they stayed where they were rather than choosing to live together again. They remain friendly- _ish_ rivals to this day." Levy laughed at a ridiculous memory before continuing.

"The boys didn't know what happened to Ultear. They never saw or heard from her again. Though neither one of them ever spoke of it, they had no choice but to assume she had lost her life in the fray with the demon. It weighed heavily on both of them for years to come. Until one day, Gray saw her again."

Lucy's eyes widened. A million questions ran through her mind, but none were voiced before Levy's solemn voice revealed the most shocking bit of information so far.

"It was on Galuna Island. Gray happened to spot Jellal chasing after someone, so he followed closely behind." Levy took this chance to backtrack a little. "As I was saying before, Jellal had been tracking the woman who had manipulated him for quite some time. He finally managed to follow her to Galuna Island and corner her when Gray showed up at the exact same time."

Lucy's stomach dropped. Her mind was working fast, tying the pieces of information and the two stories together quickly.

"None of them were prepared for Gray actually calling out the black-haired woman's name familiarly." Levy paused when Juvia let out a drawn-out, sad sigh.

"Ultear…" Lucy filled in the blank. "It was Ultear, wasn't it?" Her eyes glanced from Juvia to Levy, awaiting the terrible confirmation.

Levy nodded and Juvia leaned forward until her head was resting against the flat surface of the table they all surrounded. "Juvia wishes to give Gray-sama a hug now…" She murmured. "And never let go."

Lucy's mind swirled. "So…Ultear, Gray's adopted sister, is the same woman that somehow used Jellal and made him do all those terrible things?"

"Yes." Levy confirmed with a slight frown.

"But…why?" After finally hearing how the two stories connected, Lucy just couldn't wrap her head around it.

"Well, that's-"

 _"Lucyyy!"_ Levy was interrupted when a loud voice called from outside. Immediately after the shout, the front doors of the guild were thrown open, flooding the hall with warm sunlight.

Natsu was the first to march in through the front doors, and Lucy's somber mood was instantly brightened. A smile spread across her face as he bounded across the room to join the blonde at the table.

"Natsu." She breathed out his name as relief filled her chest. He was back! And he seemed to be doing okay, so whatever happened outside couldn't have been too bad…she hoped. Without much thought, she rose to her feet and threw her arms around the dragon slayer, happy to be in his presence again.

"Oof." He stumbled back in shock from her sudden embrace but quickly wrapped his arms around her when he regained his footing. "Did ya miss me or somethin'?" He asked with a grin. Then his head tilted in confusion. "I wasn't gone that long, was I?"

Lucy shook her head silently, choosing to only squeeze him tighter around the middle rather than respond. Truthfully, her heart had ached for him while listening to the story about the dragon's disappearances. She knew there was nothing she could have done to comfort Natsu during that hard time, so she chose to do her best to comfort him now instead.

They stayed like that for a few more moments until the sound of someone clearing their throat broke through Lucy's trance. She was immediately reminded of the presence of others, _many_ others, and jerked away from Natsu instantly.

A brilliant red tinted her cheeks as she took in her surroundings and the newcomers in the hall. Master, Mira, and Gray had all filed in behind Natsu, along with three other strangers wearing long, dark cloaks. Gray was smirking at the blonde while Mira seemed to be holding in a squeal of sheer delight. Master, whom Lucy assumed had been the one to clear his throat, rolled his eyes with a slight smile before turning to the three cloaked figures.

Lucy groaned internally. She knew Mira was going to have a lot to say about her little display of affection later on. _How embarrassing!_ She thought morbidly. And to make matters worse, Natsu hadn't taken his eyes off of her since the moment she pulled away from him. She could feel his eyes boring into her and it made her feel hot. Was it just her imagination or did the room suddenly spike in temperature? She decided forcing her gaze away from his would be the best course of action until she calmed down a little.

"Didn't notice before, but…nice scarf, Lucy." Gray teased with a certain gleam in his eyes.

Lucy looked down at her neck and gasped. Natsu's scarf was still wrapped safely and securely around the blonde's neck. She recalled the exact moment Natsu placed it on her, sharing his most important possession with her and filling her heart with warmth at the same time. As far as she knew, he didn't ever take the thing off. But here she was, in the middle of the guildhall, wearing something that was so dear to Natsu…after she'd been seen in a rather long embrace with the boy. She could only imagine what everyone had to be assuming about the two of them. Did people normally hug each other like that and share their sentimental possessions if they weren't…more than friends?

"Eep!" She squealed in panic when those thoughts filled her mind. Her cheeks flamed with heat as her fingers swiftly unraveled the scarf from around her neck. The moment she was free, she yanked it over Natsu's head, wrapping it around a few times, and tugging securely on the ends. "C-cold!" She exclaimed. "It was, uh, cold, on Earth, soo...Natsu loaned it t-to me." Lucy stuttered out her shaky explanation, cursing herself for her choppy sentence.

Natsu let out a choking sound and Lucy realized she was still pulling on the ends of his scarf, effectively constricting his air circulation. She squeaked again, quickly releasing the soft material from her grasp.

The dragon slayer took in some ragged deep breaths, massaging his neck. "What the hell, Luce?!" He was looking at her as if she had lost her mind and Lucy wanted to crawl under a rock in shame.

"S-sorry, Natsu!" She wanted to face palm, but only just barely held herself back from doing so. Why was she suddenly thinking that they were more than friends?! It was just a scarf…except that it really wasn't _just_ any old scarf. But before that, it was just a hug! It didn't mean anything…they've hugged plenty of times before. But why did their hugs feel more intimate to her now?

If she was being completely truthful with herself, there were a lot things she did with Natsu that were strictly limited to him only. Like holding hands, for example. It seemed like such a natural thing for them to do, but if she thought about doing that with someone else she just felt kind of awkward. And there was the way that their eyes always lingered on one another a bit longer than normal compared to everyone else. And how they always seemed to find an excuse to touch one another. And smile at each other. Were these normal things for friends to do?

Or maybe they were just closer because they lived together? Maybe this was the sort of relationship that _best_ friends have with one another. Natsu was her best friend, after all. Maybe his relationship was so much different because of that.

Relationships of any sort, outside of her mother, were completely foreign to Lucy, so this was all new to her. She was learning as she went. But she still couldn't shake the feeling that maybe there might be something…more.

And more importantly, why did she even care what everyone _assumed_ about them? That shouldn't matter to her at all! It shouldn't…but for some reason it did…

Lucy sighed in defeat, silently establishing with herself that she was losing it. For real this time. She was definitely losing it.

Master saved her from humiliation by taking that opportunity to speak up. "Lucy, I have some people I'd like for you to meet. Once introductions are out of the way, there's something I'd like to discuss with everyone."

The blonde was still a bit too unnerved to notice the serious tone that Master spoke with. She did her best to pull on a smile, a flustered smile, but a smile nonetheless. "H-hi!" She greeted eagerly to the newcomers. "My name's Lucy. It's a pleasure to meet you all."

The first person to step up and shake Lucy's hand was a girl around her age with bright pink hair; the color was a bit more fluorescent than Natsu's soft rosy shade. "Hi!" She smiled. "I'm Meredy."

The next person was a man about a head taller than Lucy. He had dark blue hair with an interesting tribal tattoo on his face. He held out a hand to introduce himself, but Lucy knew his identity immediately. "Hello. My name is Jellal Fernandez." He spoke softly, with only the ghost of a smile on his lips.

Lucy's smile widened encouragingly. She knew that pity was not what this guy wanted, or needed. And as much as she wanted to ache for him and feel sorry for all of the terrible things that happened, she knew that would probably only make him feel worse. She decided to go the friendly route instead. No one necessarily wanted pity, but _everyone_ could use a friendly face. So she flashed him with a brilliant smile as she shook his hand.

"Nice to meet you, Jellal."

The third person to step forward was a woman with alarming beauty. Her silky, ink black hair billowed straight down her back, and a pair of sharp red-brown eyes locked onto Lucy's.

 _What pretty hair_. Lucy thought as she reached out her hand with a smile. _So black…looks almost like silk._

"Hi." The woman greeted. Her hand wrapped firmly around Lucy's. "My name is Ultear. Ultear Milkovich."

Lucy choked. Her eyes widened as she sputtered and attempted to regain control of her breathing. The woman pulled her hand away quickly with her own eyes widened in alarm.

Lucy absentmindedly felt someone pat her back to help with her sudden fit of coughs. _Ultear!?_ She wondered with dismay while her coughs subsided.

Natsu snickered beside her when her choking finally ceased. His pats turned into soothing circles as his chuckles filled her ear. "Yeah, I cracked up when I heard that name too!" He spouted with a laugh, misinterpreting Lucy's coughing fit to be caused by laughter. "Sounds like Ultimate Milk Sandwich, doesn't it?" He let out another snort of giggles. "What a great name!"

Lucy's eyes darted up to the dragon slayer's carefree, smiling face and then over to her blue-haired friend. Levy was worriedly chewing on her bottom lip as she watched the scene unfold. When she saw Lucy looking her way, she shook her head quickly to signal to the blonde not to say anything abnormal.

Thoroughly confused, Lucy turned her attention back to the woman in front of her. Ultear wore a soft, doleful smile. Her eyebrows were pulled together and her red orbs conveyed understanding. She knew the real reason behind Lucy's sudden panic. The blonde was almost positive.

"I-I'm sorry." Lucy murmured shyly. Her eyes darted to the floor. "I, um, choked on spit?" Her poor excuse came out sounding more like a question and she knew without a doubt that nobody believed her for even a second. Even Natsu was now looking at her questioningly.

"Luce? What's wro-"

"Levy, could you please do a me a favor?" Master interrupted and Lucy silently thanked him for taking the attention off of her, _again_.

"Of course, Master!" The solid-script mage stood immediately and walked to where Makarov stood. He motioned for her to bend down to his level and she did so without question.

He spoke in a hushed tone directly into Levy's ear, giving her a series of secret instructions. Lucy stared at the interaction, straining herself to hear, but only catching inaudible whispers.

Natsu, however, seemed to hear just fine. Lucy knew because his hand on her back stopped moving instantly. She peered up to find him tensed and staring directly at Master with narrowed eyes.

"What?" Lucy murmured as quietly as possible to him. "What's wrong?"

Natsu's gaze flitted down to Lucy. He held her stare for one silent moment before opening his mouth to speak.

"Sorry, Lu!" Levy spoke up first. "Looks like we'll have to finish our talk later, okay? I'll be back soon!" The blue-haired girl smiled a bit too brightly. She then tapped Gajeel on the shoulder, signaling him to follow her, and the two disappeared out of the hall without another word.

"What's this all about, Gramps? Why'd you have her look into that?" Natsu asked without missing a beat. Master surely knew that Natsu would have heard whatever he said, no matter how quietly he whispered it. Lucy had a sinking suspicion that whatever it was, Makarov just didn't want _her_ to hear.

"I will explain, Natsu. Let's all take a seat." Makarov climbed up onto the nearest table and sat right on top of it, facing everyone. "We have much to discuss."

As everyone clambered into chairs, Lucy's heart rate spiked. Something was happening. She knew it. But what? Was it Tartaros? Was it her dad? Or what about…her eyes widened. Her mom! She'd been so distracted by everything since her and Natsu had returned to Earthland that she completely forgot about her mom!

What if this was about her?

Lucy took a seat by Natsu and scooted until she was flushed up beside him. She knew she should probably be embarrassed about her closeness to him, especially after her little hugging display in front of everyone earlier. But right now she was freaking out internally and being close to him seemed to calm her down. Besides, she wasn't nearly as bad as the water mage that currently had her arms wrapped tightly around Gray's waist, practically sitting in his lap.

Lucy took deep breaths. She let out a small sigh of content when Natsu laced his fingers through her own, giving her hand a gentle, reassuring squeeze. Whatever the problem was, it would be fine. They would figure it out together.

She focused her eyes on Master as he began to speak. "Jellal." He addressed. "If you don't mind, could you start us off by explaining to everyone here about your encounter with Erza?"

Jellal nodded once. "Of course." He agreed swiftly before beginning his tale. "My companions and I were out traveling when we happened to run into her. Erza…has a way of finding people, even when they don't want to be found." Jellal smiled softly when he spoke her name.

"She told us about recent troubles with a dark guild and expressed her concerns over their strength and numbers." His eyes darted to Lucy's. "She also informed us about you, Lucy, and your father."

Lucy swallowed.

"Erza seemed troubled about some intel she'd been gathering on this enemy that Fairy Tail could be potentially facing in the future. She said she's been traveling around, looking for information about this guild and felt uneasy about the things that she has learned." Jellal continued.

"That's when I piped in with an idea." Ultear interjected and Lucy's gaze darted guiltily to the black-haired woman. "Erza seemed to think that you all would need larger numbers or more strength on your side in order to defeat your enemy this time. I offered her my assistance."

Gray finally lifted his eyes to look directly at Ultear. "What can _you_ do to help with that?" He asked rather harshly.

Lucy winced at his tone. Whatever happened between them, it must not have ended well. She really wished that Levy had been able to finish her story…

Ultear frowned slightly, but answered him without malice. "With my magic. The Arc of Time can help-"

"Still using _that_ magic, huh?" Gray interrupted with a cold tone.

Ultear's eyes lowered. For a second, Lucy thought that she would stop speaking altogether. But the woman must have made a different decision because when she lifted her gaze, her eyes were set with determination. "Yes, I am. I no longer abuse this magic. I can use it for good, Gray." She spoke with sincerity as she stared directly into his narrowed eyes. "I _know_ that it will take more than just saying that to prove it to you. So then _let me_ prove it." She demanded. "And if you're done interrupting me, then I can explain exactly how I can do that." Her voice rang with authority, like an elder sister speaking to a younger brother.

Lucy held her breath. She hadn't expected Ultear to stand up to Gray in such a way, but she expected Gray's reaction even _less_. A light blush scattered across his cheeks and he jerked his eyes away with a 'hmph'.

"Whatever." He said while crossing his arms. "Go ahead."

Lucy suppressed a giggle. Yep, it was definitely sibling rivalry she was sensing. She may not know what it was that happened between Ultear, Gray, and Jellal, but she definitely could tell that the two adopted siblings still cared for one another deep down. Their relationship may have been damaged badly, but family was still, well...family.

Juvia caught Lucy's eyes and winked before cozying up against Gray once more.

Ultear stared at Gray for a couple more seconds prior to clearing her throat and continuing. "As I was saying…The Arc of Time can manipulate an object's time by either fast-forwarding or rewinding the 'time' of said object. Magic-users, such as ourselves, have something within our bodies called a second origin. Think of it like a container…a locked away vessel storing a significant amount of unused magic. By using the Arc of Time on this container, I can unlock that stored magic, granting each mage a rather large increase in power."

Lucy perked up. "Really?" She asked eagerly. It sounded like a magic power boost and it was exactly what she was yearning for! She couldn't even use the King's Key two times in a row without passing out…With this, maybe she could actually be of some use to Natsu and the others?

She squeezed Natsu's hand without meaning to and leaned forward in her seat. "How do you do it? Can we do it right now?"

Natsu pulled her back to her original position. "Whoa, calm down there." He laughed. "Don't jump the girl."

Gray rolled his eyes. "You're one to talk, flame brain. Being the least calm person in existence and all."

"What was that, popsickle dick?" Natsu shot back.

" _Boys._ " Makarov warned.

Ultear eyed Lucy silently with a slight smile. "I can go into the details later if you would like." She paused to look back at Master. "I've said my piece for now anyway. Please continue, Jellal."

"Right." The boy nodded. "Well, after Ultear offered our assistance, Erza asked us to come here to meet with everyone. She said she had one more place to investigate before coming back to Fairy Tail, so we waited a few days before traveling here. We expected that to be plenty of time for her to come here first and warn everyone of our arrival. But it seems that we beat her here after all..." Jellal's voice tapered off and his brows scrunched together.

Lucy waited for him to explain more, but it appeared as though his part was over. Master took over from then on.

"Yes, well. Erza did not make it back before you three…but as you now know, Jellal, she did send word that you'd be coming. A pigeon came shortly before you arrived. We're assuming she sent it not long after meeting with you." Master's voice was grave.

"Erza wrote a letter?" Lucy questioned.

"That's what you let Jellal read outside, isn't it?" Gray asked.

"Yes." Master confirmed. "She did. And it seems as though it actually concerns you, Lucy…"

"Me?" Lucy repeated numbly. She knew it…something bad was _definitely_ happening.

"Well…" Mira started as she unfolded a letter. "It concerns your mother, to be more exact." Mira held the paper out towards her. "Here, you should read this."

The blonde froze. Dread crept through her veins, cold as ice. Her fingers felt numb as she slowly reached across the table to grasp the paper into her shaking hands.

Natsu leaned in close to read over her shoulder. Her eyes scanned the letter slowly, reading each word carefully and fearing to continue on to the next one.

 _Master,_

 _I'm writing to inform you that Crime Sorciere will be traveling to Fairy Tail soon upon my request. I had intended on being there myself to let you know this news and fill you in on my journey, but it seems as though I may have discovered some important information pertaining to Lucy Heartfilia._

 _While gathering information from a particularly grungy bar, I happened to hear a couple of lowly thieves conversing about_ _'_ _Jude Heartfilia's newest job request_ _'_ _. It appears that he has upped the reward for Lucy's capture and return, which I don't find surprising due to his desperation..._

 _However, while interrogating these thieves I obtained a newly updated flier with the job request listed. I am writing to you now on the back of said flier. If you would, please flip this paper over and observe the listed job request._

Lucy did as was instructed, despite Natsu's gruff complaint about not being done reading yet. What she saw on the back of the paper was a picture of her mother; the same one that Bora had shown her a copy of all those weeks ago in the lighthouse. Under the picture of her mother, a caption stated, 'The young Heartfilia strongly resembles the woman above'.

Lucy's heart wrenched at the memory of the lighthouse. Her free hand reached up to touch her wrist, feeling the scarred skin that was mangled by the putrid flames of the man named Bora. Despite the unpleasant memory, she forced her eyes to scan through the job description. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary until she realized that there was only _one_ odd peculiarity. The job request specifically asked for the capture and return of 'Lucy Heartfilia'. _Just_ Lucy Heartfilia.

Her eyes widened as she quickly rotated the paper back around to continue reading Erza's messy scrawl.

 _As you can see, this job request has been updated. Rather than requesting the capture of Layla_ _and_ _Lucy Heartfilia, it now only requests the capture of Lucy alone. I have no way of knowing if my suspicions are correct, but I have decided to investigate the Heartfilia Estate. I hope that I am wrong. But if I am right, then I may be able to rescue Layla and return to Fairy Tail alongside her._

 _If Jellal happens to make it to the guild before my return, please know that he is there on my wish. Allow Crime Sorciere to be heard out, and to help strengthen our forces. I will send word as soon as I find something._

 _~Erza_

 _P.S., please_ _do not allow_ _Natsu to act out of hand should he encounter Jellal before I arrive…_

Lucy was silent when her eyes came to the end of the letter. She passed it to Natsu to allow him to finish reading, but otherwise remained completely still and silent.

Natsu scoffed when he came to the conclusion. "'Do not allow', what the hell, Erza! What's that supposed to mean?" He grumbled something about how _she_ was the one always acting out of hand and then passed the letter along to allow everyone to read it.

His eyes sought Lucy's but she refused to look up, choosing to stare at the floor instead.

This was all her fault. Her mom had been captured. She could be in danger right now. And so could Erza for that matter. _All_ of her friends could be.

Maybe none of this would have happened if she'd been stronger! If it hadn't taken so long for her to increase her magic power. Maybe if she had been able to talk to Mavis sooner, she could have learned how to use the key and found her mom _before_ she was captured.

Maybe if she had never come to Earthland…then all of their lives would have been _a lot_ easier.

"Lucy." Natsu said softly.

Her heart froze and all thoughts ceased to exist. What had she just been thinking..?

Warm fingertips gently traced down her cheek, stopping below her chin. The hand lifted her face with care until her eyes were staring directly into Natsu's serious, green orbs. His free hand brushed her hair our of her face and tucked it neatly behind her ear. For a moment he didn't say anything, he just looked at her. And she took that chance to fully take in his features, slowly burning every detail, every hair, and every pore into her memory.

She wanted to remember his face perfectly. So that whenever she was feeling hopeless and lost again, like she was just a moment ago, she could recall this image in her mind. Whenever, _if ever_ , she had the audacity to think again 'maybe I shouldn't have come here', then she could remember Natsu's face with clarity. Because _this_ is why she came here. Him. And Fairy Tail. And Magnolia. And _all_ of Earthland. She was here because this was her home. He was her home. And no matter what terrible things were thrown her way, or her mother's way, she never wanted to doubt her place _here_ ever again.

All it took was one look at Natsu to reignite the fire in her belly.

"I'm okay." She said after another moment of drinking in his features. "I'm okay. I'm fine." She repeated with a deep breath.

Natsu smiled crookedly down at her. "I know." He assured.

Lucy grinned softly and turned her attention back to Master. It seemed as though everyone had finished reading the letter, so now was the time to move forward. "I believe that Erza is right." Lucy spoke with certainty. "Natsu and I were told by my newest spirit that my mother is here on Earthland. We actually just got back from my _other_ planet hoping to find her." Lucy paused to take another deep breath. "This is good…It's good. Now we know where she is, and hopefully where Erza is as well."

"So…what now?" Gray questioned Master with a raised brow.

"Hmm…" Makarov closed his eyes and stroked his mustache in thought. "I think…" He began slowly as he opened his eyes. "That it's time for Lucy to fill us in on her recent travels. Knowing everything will help us determine what precisely needs to be done next."

Lucy nodded. She'd forgotten that it's actually been quite some time since she'd last seen the members of Fairy Tail. After all, her mere hour spent in the Spirit Realm was actually over a week for everyone left on Earthland. And once she returned, she left right away again to travel back to Earth in search of her mom. She had a lot to fill everyone in on…

So she did just that. She began from the beginning, when she found Leo's key in the bottom of an enchanted lake and summoned Loke. She went on to explain how she was taken to the Spirit Realm to meet the Spirit King. She summarized how she learned about her past, and her mother's connection with the Spirit King and the 'World Key'. She considered leaving out the information about the special key that she possessed. After all, the King's Key was supposed to an urban legend; it's true power and potential was to be kept secret from those who were not deemed worthy of its use. However…if there were ever people to exist that were trustworthy enough to know of its existence, then they were the people directly in front of Lucy. Fairy Tail was worthy of knowing the truth.

So she told them about the King's Key and all of its powers. She explained about the prophecy and the imminent battles she would have to face. She told them of her mission to find and rescue all of the celestial spirit keys that had been stolen and imprisoned, and of her agreement to begin her search immediately after finding her mom.

Finally, she recalled her return to Earthland, where she met Natsu again, and their experience traveling to Earth using the King's Key. She talked about their time there and calling upon Grampa Crux, where they learned the truth about her mom's location. The end of her story led to the pair returning to Earthland and then finding out about Erza and Layla.

The information was a lot for everyone to digest…after all, it had taken over twenty minutes to fully summarize everything that had happened, and that was _without_ giving every single detail. The expressions on her companion's faces ranged from varying degrees of shock; aside from Natsu, of course, who had already been informed of everything.

"So…" Gray began slowly. "Let me get this straight…Not only do we have your dad and his goons to worry about, now we have some crazy magic war that's impending doom upon us all?"

Lucy smiled crookedly at his use of the word 'we'. It seemed as though Natsu wasn't the only one crazy enough to stick beside her during all of this madness.

"Juvia knows that we can do it! Fairy Tail will _always_ win!" She smiled sincerely at Lucy before shifting her eyes to the ice mage beside her. "Because Gray-sama is the strongest!" She gushed while throwing her arms around the male's shoulders.

"Ack! Juvia, not right _now._ " He panicked at the space, or lack thereof, between them. "Get off me!"

Despite his request, Lucy noticed that his hands did _very little_ to actually remove the woman from wrapping herself around him.

"Don't forget we also have a scavenger hunt to complete to find all of those poor keys that were stolen." Mira piped in, adding to their to-do list

Another use of the word 'we', Lucy noted.

"And we have our mission to rescue Luce's mom and Erza!" Natsu said with a grin. He pumped a flaming hand in the air as if he was thrilled by the challenge.

Gray peeked around Juvia's head and caught his eye. A crooked grin was shared between the two males. "Sounds like fun." He said while outstretching a fist across the table towards Natsu. "I'm in."

"Yosh!" Natsu bumped his fist against Gray's, colliding the two with a loud smack. "I'm all fired up!"

Lucy's face warmed as she watched the exchange. "Thank you guys…" She started. Tears of happiness began to pool in her eyes, but they didn't escape. "Thank you for everything. For supporting me. For giving me a home. For all of it. I can't seem to thank you enough." She let out a short laugh.

"No need to thank us." Gray said with a small grin. "That's what friends are for."

"Juvia is glad to have found another friend." The water mage peeked up from her chokehold on Gray. " But Love Rival still can't have Gray-sama!"

" _Juvia._ " Gray groaned with a drastic eye-roll.

A hand rested firmly on Lucy's shoulder, giving it a gently squeeze and alerting her to the presence of someone new beside her. She looked over to find Makarov next to her, standing on the table wearing a warm smile. "We will get you through this, Lucy. And we will do it together. This family leaves nobody behind."

Tears spilled over now and a grin stretched its way across Lucy's lips. She could think of no words to say at the moment, so she simply nodded and basked in the feeling of knowing she was a part of something wonderful; the family that was known as Fairy Tail.

Everyone in the room shared looks of happiness with the blonde, even the three newcomers. For a few perfect moments, they all just smiled.

It was Jellal who spoke first, bringing everyone back to the present. "Forgive me, but…there's something I've been wondering."

Lucy turned his way, giving him her full attention.

"This dark mage you mentioned in the prophecy. The one in control of the guild that attacked you at the lighthouse…What is his name?" Jellal asked calmly with a tilted head.

"Oh." Lucy racked her brain. Had she forgotten to say his name when recalling her time spent in the spirit realm? Well, she had been summarizing, so she supposed it was possible she left it out. "Zeref. His name is Zeref."

Jellal turned white as a ghost. For a second, he was frozen still. And then his hands were balled into fists pulling at his hair. " _Zeref?_ " He wheezed. "You're sure?"

Lucy nodded. "Yes. I'm positive." Concern was laced in her voice while she answered. "Jellal, are you okay?"

He was shaking his head back and forth. "But that's impossible. He was alive over _four hundred_ years ago. But maybe…ah, why didn't I think of this?!" He stood from his seat and started pacing in circles.

Ultear and Meredy stood with him, deep concern etched on their faces.

"Jellal, what's is it? What's wrong?" Meredy asked first, echoing Lucy's worried tone.

He didn't answer her directly. It seemed his mind was somewhere else. "I should have considered this possibility…all this time I had only been assuming that I was looking for someone from _this_ time. I never thought that _Zeref_ could still exist."

That was when Ultear gasped. Her hands flew to her mouth in shock.

Meredy fluttered between her two companions. "Ultear? What is it? What's wrong with him?" She fretted.

Ultear remained silent for a few more heartbeats before her eyes connected with Meredy's. "Z…" She whispered. "Z stands for Zeref…"

The pink haired girl's eyes widened, along with everyone else's in the room as well. It instantaneously clicked why the calm and collected Jellal had suddenly lost his composure.

Lucy sucked in a breath. "Z was the person who called all the shots when Jellal was under some sort of mind control…If Z really is Zeref…then Zeref is the one responsible for Jellal's suffering." Her mind whirled as answers began to fall into place.

Her heart stopped when she came to the next realization. Lucy's brown orbs searched for Natsu's. His gaze was lowered, making it clear he had already come to the same conclusion she had.

"He's also the bastard involved with the dragon's disappearances." He confirmed Lucy's suspicion in a voice filled with venom. "Zeref." He growled lowly, testing the name on his lips.

Lucy reached out to grasp his hand in hers. She could hardly believe that the dark mage she was supposed to put a stop to was the same person that caused Natsu, and all the other dragon slayers, so much pain. She had a nagging feeling that everything she'd experienced and learned so far was all somehow connected…like a sick cosmic joke that allied all of her friends' pain and suffering to the same source.

Her expression darkened. If this mysterious Zeref really was the cause behind everyone's tormented pasts, then it only made her resolve to destroy him that much stronger.

It was Master's voice of reason that seemed to pull everyone out of their suddenly twisted and despairing thoughts.

"Stand tall, children. Now is not the time to wallow in dark emotions." He paused to glance around to each individual in the room. "We are now closer than ever before to solving so many of the problems that have plagued us for years. This is a time to celebrate, and a time to plan. This is the time for Fairy Tail to move forward."

Natsu's rough fingers intertwined with Lucy's, locking their hands more firmly together. After Makarov was done speaking, Natsu finally met the blonde's eyes. He grinned, exposing his sharp canines in a motivated smile. He opened his mouth to say something, but Lucy never got to hear what it was.

In that moment a flash of light, followed by a cloud of smoke, filled the room. Natsu stiffened before the smoke even began to disappear, revealing a tall redheaded guy standing within its wispy tendrils.

"Hello there, princess." Loke greeted with a charming smile, adjusting the front of his suit before stepping forward.

Gray's eyes bugged from his head. "Loke?!"

Master and Mira wore similar jaw-dropped expressions upon looking at the cat-like spirit standing before them.

Lucy realized that it'd been weeks, months even, since the guild last saw Loke. She figured he probably hadn't had a chance to come speak with anyone since she freed him from his enchanted prison in the lake.

She was about to greet him when she felt Natsu's hand pull free from her own.

" _You._ " He snarled.

That was the only word he breathed out before launching himself across the table at the spirit.

Though he didn't get very far considering Gray had stood up in shock the moment Natsu made a jump for Loke . The ice mage coincidentally put himself right in the way of Natsu's path, causing them to roughly collide with one another before crashing to the ground.

"Natsu, what the fuck, man?!" Gray shouted while throwing the dragon slayer off him.

The ice mage regretted that action the moment he realized it was exactly what Natsu wanted. Now free of Gray, he continued his fiery path towards Loke.

"Natsu!" Lucy shouted with a mixture of surprise and fear.

"Shit." Gray muttered under his breath. He pushed himself to his feet and tackled the pink-haired male to the ground.

" _Gray!_ Get. Off. Me!" Natsu thrashed on the ground, bucking beneath Gray's hold.

"No, dude. Calm down."

Loke merely observed the entire situation with a raised brow and a mild smirk. "Gee, thanks Natsu. I didn't realize I'd receive such a…warm welcome when I returned."

"Let me go, Gray." Natsu tried to reason. "I'm gonna knock his ass out."

Gray scoffed. "That's exactly why I'm not letting go, dumbass. Calm down." He repeated. "I know you were mad before, but let it go. She's back now, isn't she?"

Lucy's eyes widened when she realized the reason behind Natsu's sudden rage. She made her way over to the scuffling boys and knelt in front of them.

"Natsu." She spoke his name with an authoritative tone, demanding his immediate attention. "Stop this _now_." She demanded.

Natsu's thrashing stopped, but the fire in his eyes and voice was nowhere near gone. "Lucy, tell Gray to back off."

"No." She said simply. She leaned in until her face was inches in front of him. "Look at me, Natsu." His angry eyes focused on her and she continued. "I'm sorry for what happened when I went to the Spirit Realm. I know you were worried and angry and hurt. But Loke didn't mean to put you through any of that."

Natsu rolled his eyes in defiance, showing he clearly didn't believe that even for a second.

Lucy felt a pang of guilt. She knew that while Natsu worried over her absence for an entire week, he must have also been fuming with anger. All of those emotions were easy for Natsu to blame on Loke, seeing as he was the one who took Lucy away. But she also knew that she couldn't allow the hostility between the two of them to remain, so she had to do something. After all, Loke did the right thing by taking Lucy to the Spirit King…even though he could have just waited an extra second for Natsu to come too, but Lucy wasn't about to mention that…

"Besides that, Gray's right." Lucy continued. "I'm here and I promise you it won't happen again. I told you already, didn't I? We're a team." She smiled down at the pinned dragon slayer. "I won't be going anywhere like that without you ever again, okay?"

Natsu huffed, but otherwise simmered down. "Fine." He muttered. "I'm cool." He called back to Gray, who released him immediately.

Natsu glared at Loke before pushing himself up into a sitting position on the ground in front of Lucy.

"Gray. Your clothes…" Lucy murmured, shielding her eyes from the underwear clad boy in front of her.

" _What?_ " Gray hissed in shock while looking down at himself. "When the hell did I do that?"

"Here you are, Gray-sama!" Juvia appeared out of thin air with an armful of fabric. Her eyes were exploding with hearts as she held the clothing out to him. "You took them off a few minutes ago, but Juvia was too entranced to mention it."

The pair made their way back to their seats as Gray pulled his shirt over his head with a grumble about how crazy the water mage was.

With the crisis averted, for now, Master turned his attention onto Loke. "Boy, you have a lot of explaining to do." He said gruffly. "But we're happy to see that you're okay."

Mira quickly agreed. "When'd you get the makeover?" She added with a giggle. "I like the new look."

Loke flashed a charming smile. "Why, thank you. But I look good in just about everything." He said confidently while pushing up his sunglasses.

Mira's eyebrow twitched. "I see that weeks in captivity did nothing to alter that ego of yours, hm?"

Sensing another problem arising, Lucy jumped to her feet. Fairy Tail mages really loved to egg each other on, didn't they? "Sooo, Leo, err-Loke. What brings you here?" She glanced down at the string of keys resting on her chest. "I didn't summon you, did I?"

Loke shook his head, his chauvinistic smile softening when he looked at the blonde. "No. The Spirit King allows me to travel to and from Earth on my own." He answered.

Lucy nodded her head. "Oh."

"Actually…" He began. "I came for a lot of reasons. I know I have a lot to fill everyone in on. But first, princess, I'd like to talk to you in private."

" _Like hell._ " Natsu was in Loke's face in a flash.

"Well, hello there." Loke said smugly.

Lucy threw her hands up in the air. They were impossible! "Seriously?! Will you two cut it out?" She forced her tiny little frame between the two male bodies. "Look," Her glare zeroed in on Natsu first. "Loke is _my_ spirit. Not only that, but he's my friend. And you are my…um, well, my _best_ friend. So you two are going to have to spend a lot of time together in the future because of that!"

Loke stuck his tongue out at Natsu just as the blondes furious glare switched to him. "And _you_." She started with heat. "Natsu is very dear to me. He is my partner. That means no more leaving him behind! He goes where I go. And for the love of God, would you please stop antagonizing him! Self control isn't exactly one of his strong suits, and everyone knows the fuse to his temper is nearly nonexistent, so just stop pushing him!"

" _Hey._ " Natsu interrupted, only to be answered with a terrifying glare. He backed down immediately. "I do too have self control…" He mumbled quietly with an averted gaze.

"So," Lucy continued. "That being said, you two," She stepped out from being in between them. "Settle this and apologize to one another."

Both boys sputtered out excuses until Lucy's eyes narrowed to horrific slits. " _Now._ " She seethed.

Loke and Natsu simultaneously gulped before grumbling out 'sorry' without so much as looking the each other in the eye.

Lucy continued to glare for another split second before her face broke out into an earsplitting grin. Her expression brightened, morphing from a look of terror to a look of sheer happiness in the blink of an eye. "Ah, good. I feel better. Don't you both feel better too?"

They merely gaped at her in shock over her immediate transformation.

Rather than responding to her question, Natsu rubbed the back of his neck. "Sheesh, you're scary, Luce…"

"No kidding…" Loke agreed.

Lucy only smiled wider. "See? Look, you're already getting along! Agreeing on things is a step in the right direction."

Neither one of the boys bothered to mention that they only agreed on the fact that the girl could be a wee bit terrifying…

Suddenly laughter was filling the entire guildhall.

"Wow." Gray chortled. "Looks like Erza might have some competition." He held his stomach as more laughs escaped. "Ah, that was great. Way to go, Lucy." He flashed her a thumbs up while wiping tears from his eyes.

"Ahem." Loke cleared his throat once the laughter died down a little. "Princess," He began. "I still would really like to talk to you in private…er, Natsu can come too, of course."

Lucy nodded, happy with the way things had turned out after her rant. "Right, yes. I'm ready."

"You can go in the office." Master offered. "But I expect an explanation when you're finished, Loke." His brows were pulled together when he spoke his order to the spirit.

"Yes, Master." Loke nodded before leading the way into the office.

Once the three of them were shut within the walls of Makarov's office, Loke began speaking.

"With the help of Mavis and the Spirit King, I was able to map out the locations of all the stolen celestial gate keys." Loke pulled a large piece of parchment from an inside pocket of his suit and began unfolding it onto Master's desk.

The paper turned out to be a map of Fiore; Lucy recognized it because a larger version of the map was hanging in the guildhall. There were red and black circles placed in various locations across the paper.

Loke pointed some out. "These red ones are silver gate keys." His finger traveled across the inked landmarks. "And the black circles are the zodiac keys." He informed.

Lucy took in all of the dots, absorbing the information into her mind. This was good. If they knew the locations, then all they had to do was find and retrieve the keys. She didn't notice Loke's sharp stare until she looked up.

"What is it?" She asked.

"Well…" He pointed to a certain spot on the map where there was a black circle. Next to the circle was scrawled 'x3'. "This spot is where three of the zodiac keys are being held right now. We assume that they probably acquired them recently and just haven't hidden them yet, that's why they're all together still."

Lucy nodded. "Great. If we can start with that location then we should be able to get three at once. That's good, right?"

Loke's eyes met Natsu's before he answered. "Right…it's just the matter of the actual location that we found to be disturbing."

Lucy didn't skip a beat. "Where?" Her eyes glanced back down at the map as if she would know the area by looking at it. But she wouldn't, considering she'd barely even traveled outside of Magnolia. "Where are they?" She asked again.

Loke placed a hand on Lucy's shoulder before speaking. "It seems…that they are being held at the Heartfilia Manor."

Lucy's stomach dropped along with Natsu's jaw.

" _Heartfilia?_ " Natsu echoed.

"Yes." Loke confirmed grimly.

"As in my dad?" Lucy murmured. "B-but…Tartaros is stealing the keys. They're the ones that have been killing celestial wizards. I-if those keys are at _my dad's…_ then that means…" Lucy couldn't bring herself to finish her sentence before her knees buckled.

She was grateful that Loke had thought to place a hand on her shoulder because it allowed him to easily catch her before she fell.

Natsu wasted no time in wrapping his arms around her waist and lowering her into Master's desk chair.

"I'm afraid that's what it looks like…" Loke said with a frown. "I'm so sorry, Lucy."

The blonde cracked. If he was suddenly calling her her real name rather than 'princess' then it must be serious…

"My _mom_ is there." Lucy cried. " _My mom!"_

"Luce." Natsu started, but Lucy didn't seem to hear him.

"My mom is a celestial mage. Did you hear what I just said?! They're _killing_ us!" Lucy's head shook back and forth, her voice rising with hysteria. "Oh God…Oh God, what if they already…what if they-"

"They didn't." Loke interrupted with assurance. "Lucy, they didn't."

The blonde only shook her head more.

Natsu pulled her hands away from her face while Loke continued talking. "If your father really is working with Tartaros, one thing is for sure. He _won't allow_ her to be killed. Jude was a lot of things, but he wasn't a murderer. He may not even know all of what's going on. He may not know what he's doing. But he would _never_ allow something like that to happen to your mom, despite their past." Loke was kneeling in front of Lucy's chair now, trying to get her attention. " _Listen to me_ , Lucy."

Her watery brown orbs slowly crept up to his face, but her body couldn't seem to stop shaking.

"If your mother is with Jude, then she is alive." He spoke each word carefully, hoping to fully convey the message to her.

Lucy shook her head. "I-I…We need to know for sure. I need to know for sure. I have to go." Lucy stood swiftly to her feet.

"Lucy." Natsu grabbed her wrist but she yanked free instantly.

"I have to go, I have to rescue her. Erza's there too, I have to go _now_." Her voice was reaching hysteria once more. She took one step towards the office door before a pair of strong, warm arms enclosed around her, pulling her back against a hard body.

She didn't need to turn around to know who was holding her. "Natsu, let go. I have to leave." She pulled at his arms but he didn't budge. "Let go of me _right now!_ " She screamed.

"No." He said softly, not bothered by her scream in the slightest. He knew she wasn't exactly in the best state of mind at the moment. "You're not thinking straight, Lucy. You're not going anywhere."

"Natsu Dragneel, I swear, if you don't let go of me right now, I'll-"

"I'm not letting you go, Lucy." He twirled her around in his arms, forcing her to face him. "We _will_ get your mother back. It's going to be okay. We're going to get your mom, Erza, _and_ those keys. We'll get them back together. But you're not going anywhere right now."

"Natsu…" She pleaded as tears began to stream down her face.

Loke's hand landed softly on her shoulder once more. "Natsu is right, Lucy. We're going to get them back, and we're going to very soon. But we need a plan. A strategy." Loke's lips tugged up into a slight smile. "Which brings me to the next thing I wanted to talk to you about."

Lucy remained silent. There was a battle raging within her mind. Part of her wanted to free herself from this room and storm straight to her fathers to rescue her mom and Erza. The other part of her knew how ridiculously reckless that sounded. Especially if Tartaros really was working with her dad…her last run-in with them didn't exactly end on the best of terms. On the other hand, now she had the lacrima bracelet concealing her celestial magic…so maybe they wouldn't see her coming? No, she told herself, that didn't matter…even if she was able to sneak in and gain the element of surprise, how could she possibly hope to win against them in a fight on her own? Not to mention she didn't even know how to get to her father's manor…

But each second that passed was another second that her mother was in danger.

Lucy was conflicted. She had no idea what she should do. So she lifted her head and her eyes searched for Natsu's.

He was already looking down at her so their eyes immediately connected and she was lost again, but this time within his dark green gaze rather than the raging war within her thoughts.

Natsu thought it was best to wait. Natsu, who was the strongest and most reliable person she had ever known, thought it was best to plan; to strategize; to move _together_. _Natsu_ thought that everything was going to be okay. And there wasn't a person on Earthland that she trusted more than the boy right in front of her, so she let _his_ thoughts make her decision for her.

If she was too unbalanced to decide on her own, then she would put her faith and trust in Natsu.

"O-okay." Lucy let out a shaky breath. She closed her eyes for a moment letting her decision sink in and her thoughts mellow themselves out.

Lucy was strong. Natsu taught her how to be; he showed her the now, thanks to him,she was strong and she was going to pull herself together. Not just for her sake, but for her moms sake, and Erza's sake, and Natsu's, and everyone else on Earthland. This was the beginning of the end, and Lucy couldn't allow herself to fall apart _here_. No. According to the prophecy the entire _planet_ was at stake. There was no way she'd allow this planet to fall if there was anything she could do about it. _She was strong_ and she was going to carry them through to the end of this war.

Lucy opened her eyes. The tears had stopped flowing, leaving her round orbs red and puffy, but they were open and they were determined. She cleared her throat, hoping to chase away the scratchy sound left over from crying.

"W-what is the next thing you wanted to talk about?" She addressed Loke after a few more deep breaths.

Loke smiled softly upon seeing the new resolve in her eyes. "Well, like I said, we need a strategy. A solid plan." Loke paused with a glint in his eyes. "We need the Fairy Tactician."

"The wha-?" Natsu asked with a raised brow and tilted head.

"We need Fairy Tail's first master. Mavis Vermillion." Loke answered, holding his tongue when a certain insult for Natsu came to his mind. "Mavis is the world's best strategist. She wants to help come up with a fail-safe plan to get you in and out of your dad's house, rescuing everyone and procuring the keys simultaneously. Plus, it'd help having her explain things more fully to everyone else in the guild, especially Master Makarov."

Lucy nodded her head slowly. "Okay. Where is she? We should get started as soon as possible." Her throat felt raw from crying, but Lucy could honestly care less at this point.

"Well, there's a small problem. She obviously wants to be able to communicate with you directly, Lucy. But _you_ can't see her here on Earthland. You could only see her before because we were in the Spirit Realm. Here, only Fairy Tail wizards are able to see Mavis." Loke finished with an insinuating grin.

Lucy's eyes widened. She realized where Loke was going with the conversation and, despite everything that she had just discovered, her heart pounded in excitement at the thought of what he was suggesting.

"So how about it, princess?" The redhead asked with a grin. He pointed to the far wall of Master's office where Lucy's eyes drifted to find a giant Fairy Tail guild mark painted in black. "Are you ready to become an _official_ mage of Fairy Tail?"

* * *

 **Phew, that was a long one, huh? And we learned quite of bit of information! Now our heroes have a clear goal in sight:)**

 **Gah, I love NaLu moments! But Gratsu is pretty great too! And Graylu...Those three are just plain awesome!:D**

 **What are your thoughts? Any questions? Or comments? I would love to hear everything that you think!**

 **Thanks again for making it all the way to chapter 30! You guys are so awesome!**

 **FireShifter** **: Hello again and thank you so much for reviewing! I love your reviews so much, you give the most detailed feedback and theories and you even ask questions...all in all, you're really awesome! So thanks again for always bringing a smile to my face:D I hope you had spectacular holidays! Anyways, I agree with you! Jellal and Zeref are two characters that have done some pretty terrible things in the past, but neither one of them had any control over it! It makes me feel so bad for them...especially Zeref...Oh goodness, don't get me started on Zeref! T^T And yes, I'm so glad that NaLu is finally back to Earthland! And the little gratsu moments are always fun to write. Gray knows Natsu like the back of his hand and he cares about him more than he's likely ever to admit. So I thought it was appropriate for Gray to be the one there for Natsu during the Jellal scene. Also, you were right about Ultear, of course! We still have more to learn of her backstory as well, but she was definitely the one influencing Jellal. You also were spot on in guessing that Erza's letter had something to do with Layla!:D Now we know where she is and (hopefully) where Erza is too! It's time for our gang to finally start moving ^_^ Also, thank you so much for saying that about the holiday oneshot! I really enjoyed writing it, haha. I just love thinking of the interactions between the FT characters, they're so fun and caring of each other, and they have the funniest little quirks! Their personalities are the absolute best! Wow, again, thanks so much for reviewing! I hope you had a great new years!:D**

 **Underfairy** **: Oh wow, thank you so much! I genuinely appreciate your support to no ends!:D I loved writing the holiday one-shot, there will most likely be more to come in the future! :3 Thank you for reading and reviewing and, of course, for just being awesome!:D I hope you had a wonderful holiday and an amazing New Year!**

 **arcadea333** **: AHHHH, I KNOWWW! My heart literally hurts so much for Erza and Jellal! In the manga and while writing this story...They just deserve to be happy, okay?! Why can't they just be happy!? T^T Hahaha, well, hopefully they will get to be in the end;) But yes, of course, you're right about the mysterious woman being Ultear! Ding, ding, ding! You got it! Hmmm, your theory about Zeref is a good one! I suppose you'll just have to find outttt~~! Ugh, I can't wait to write about Zeref...he makes me so sad but he's just such a little cutie and gahhh, then there's Mavis and...ughh, why can't they be happy toooooo?! D: Blahhh! Anywhooo, it was an amazing trip! And psh, you know I got that stingrays number!;) We talk everyday! I'll tell him you said hello XD Ahhh, thank you! The Christmas one-shot was funnn, I really liked writing it! It felt like a good way to stretch out a bit and write something other than this story for a minute...which, by the way, I started working on an idea for a new story O.O ahh, but don't worry, I'm still making sure I put most of my time and dedication into this one until it's complete! I'm just really excited to share something new with you as well ^_^**

 **peacerockgirl123** **: Thank you so much for reviewing and for the holiday wishes! I hope you had a wonderful christmas and a spectacular new years! Hahaha, I'm so glad that you enjoyed the one-shot! It makes me happy to hear that it made you laugh, that was the goal! These characters are just so fun to write about! I find so much enjoyment in it, just as much as I enjoy watching them in the anime or reading about them in the manga. They just make you laugh and I love it! Anywhooo, thanks again! You rock!:D**

 **SulliMike23** **: Hi! And thank you for reviewingggg! I hope you enjoyed the Holidays and I hope you had an awesome New Year!:D You're right, of course. Something is definitely up! But now we know that Jellal's group came on Erza's request so that Ultear can open their second origins! We'll see if everything works out~!**

 **The Age of Awesomeness** **: Ahhh, thank you so muchhh! Hehe, the one-shot was so much fun to write! It was like a nice little breath of fresh air, haha! And back to the questionsss..AHHH, of course, HP and SU are the BEST! I love them both so much! I'm finally almost completely up to date on SU and just...IT'S AMAZING! Hmm, I used to be a part of Bleach back when I first started watching anime! But when I moved I didn't have the means to watch it anymore and I just haven't picked it back up since! I would love to start it from the beginning! I actually bought the first book in the Maximum Ride series not too long ago! I haven't gotten around to reading it yet because I always buy an armload of books when I go to the bookstore, so I'm reading a couple others right now...but I'm excited to get to it! I've heard some good and bad things about it, like you said. Hmm, I'm not much of a fan of the twilight fandom either...Another one I forgot to mention that I used to love was City of Bones...but that series was kind of like you said and it got dragged out way too long. As for your newest question...is Xovers short for crossovers? Hahaha, I know that sounds like a silly question, but I wanted to make sure! XD haha. If so, then I don't mind them! I just have to be interested in both fandoms that are merging together...I actually would love to read more of them, but I can't really ever seem to find ones that captivate..or the writing style just isn't my taste..do any have any references?:D I'd love to check them out! Also, I'll let you in on a little secret...I'm working on an FT crossover right now ^-^ tehe, well, sort of. I don't want to start legitimately writing it until I finish this story! But I've written out my story outline and ideas for it, so it's just a matter of time before I begin! Ahhh, thanks so much again for reviewing! You're awesomeee!:D Now, I have a question for you! What was it that first got you into the Fairy Tail fandom? What drew you to it? And did you start with the anime or the manga?:D**

 **Darlene** **: Hiiiiii! AHHH, thank you for reviewing again! You're so amazing for checking back for updates on my story. It makes me sooo happy! T^T And oh dear, you're the cute one!:D Yes, definitely let me know if you wind up creating one:) Also, thank you for the comment about the christmas special! I'm glad I was able to make you laugh ^_^ Ding, ding, ding! You were right about Ultear! Of course:3 hehe, we'll find out more about the dragons eventually! They're a big mystery! Haha, I'm glad you like the smileys! I'm not sure which ones you're referring to, so I'll just make sure to use a bunch of em!:3 and gah, you're so cuteee! *glomps you tight* Ahh, you seem like such an awesome person and I just really enjoy talking back and forth with you! *squeals* AHH, I really like you too! I feel the same! Although we don't know each other, I feel like we'd be awesome friends irl! For now we can be awesome online friends!:D Haha, yes, Gajeel and Lucy would definitely have a bizarre but pretty cool friendship! Gajeel is such an interesting character! Ahh, I hope you had wonderful holidays and and even more amazing new year! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I can't wait to hear back from you again!:D Oh, also! The drawing I was referring to was about making a doujinshi! So basically, I would turn this story into a comic! Like making my own little fanart manga. Haha, I don't know if I have the patience for it though! But when/if I start posting it, it will be on my tumblr! Which, by the way, my name on tumblr is piratedrabbles! If you have a tumblr, you should follow me! So I can follow you too!:D AHH, thanks again Darlene! Until next time! *waves enthusiastically from my puddle of happy tears***

 **Charlyfunny** **: Hahaha, ohhh, thank you so much for that review! It really makes me happy that you pointed out something that made you laugh and reviewed just to tell me that! That felt really good to hear, so thank you so much! You're awesome! I hope I can get a couple more laughs out of you! I know you posted that review on chapter 18, so you might not even see this reply T^T...but if you do, you ROCK!:D**

 **Life Death rabidlovingfangirl** **: Oh my gosh, hiiii! It's so good to hear from you again!:D Oh wow, rereading it?! That's amazing! and it makes me feel pretty wonderful that someone is going back to do such a thing! Ahhh, thank you! Also, I totally get the same vibe from the first chapter now that I think about it! Haha, oh goodness, the lion king brings back so many memories! Some great and some sad! T^T Anyways, thank you so much for another review, I hope you've been doing wonderful! I haven't been on FF for a couple of weeks, but it seems as though I have a couple chapters to catch up on with your story as well!:D I'll post my reviews as soon as I read! Happy Holidays and New Year! Even though it's a bit late, haha :)**

 **Ahhhhh! I can't believe how awesome you all are! Thank you, thank you, thank you!**

 **Your words make me so happy!**

 **I hope you all have a wonderful day/night!**

 **Until next time:)**

 **xoxo**

 **~Mac**


	31. Welcome to Fairy Tail

**Hello everyone!:D I'm back with the 31st chapter! Yay!**

 **I pulled an all nighter getting this one written, and by the end of it I'm pretty sure I was going cross eyed, so thank you so much, Emma, for revising and editing for me! I feel much better about my crazy 6 am scribbles now ^_^**

 **Eep! I've started sketching out different scenes of this story. I'm going to start republishing chapters on my tumblr with little light comics to go along with it. I'm excited! My tumblr is _piratedrabbles_ is anyone wants to check it out! I'll probably start posting later this week!  
**

 **Also, I'm screaming because it feels like spring and the FT movie comes out this spring and _oml_ I just need an official release date so my blood pressure will stop raising!**

 **Anyways, enjoy~**

* * *

Natsu found himself sitting alone at the bar, thinking back on everything that had just happened.

 _"Are you ready to become an_ official _mage of Fairy Tail?"_

The dragon slayer grumbled to himself as he recalled Loke's words. Pft. What was that even supposed to mean, anyway? Lucy's already been one of Fairy Tail's mages for a long time as far as Natsu and everyone else was concerned. But _Loke_ wouldn't know that because _Loke_ wasn't the one that spent all that time with Lucy, Natsu was.

And he had wanted to say just that, but he didn't get the chance before Lucy had let out an eager shout of agreement.

 _"Yes!" Lucy yelled, bringing Natsu's attention straight to her, thanks to her sudden loud outburst. She clamped a hand over her mouth after realizing her volume, and a light rose dusted her cheeks. "Oops, sorry." She lowered her voice but couldn't quite stop it from shaking. "U-um, yes. Of course, yes, I'm ready." Natsu could hear her straining to steady her words, but he knew she was holding back excitement._

 _He didn't understand. What was there to be excited about? Because_ Loke _offered her something and now she's suddenly all worked up…?_

 _However, before he could dwell too long on those dreary thoughts, he found himself captivated by something else involving Lucy. He stared in silence as a brilliant smile lit up her features, chasing away all of the sadness and fear she had been feeling not too long prior. Natsu could almost believe that she hadn't even been crying at all before_ _._ _A_ _lmost._

 _Despite everything they had learned_ _in_ _the short span of time that they've been back on Earthland, Lucy could still stand tall and smile like_ that _? It was awe-inspiring. Natsu admired Lucy's strength, among many other things, and she didn't even fully realize how strong she truly was. When Igneel went missing, Natsu quite literally lost sense of reason and spent months on end searching_ _for him_ _on his own, angry at the world. But Lucy…Lucy was so different. It blew him away. It inspired him to be…more._

Natsu had been so mesmerized by the blonde's smile and his own thoughts revolving around her that he had completely tuned out of the conversation going on around him.

Next thing he knew, Lucy had ran out of the office and disappeared somewhere with Mira, leaving Natsu alone in the office with Loke. And he'd be damned if he was going to spend any quality one-on-one time with that jackass just yet, so he wandered into the guildhall and plopped down on one of the bar stools in somewhat of a trance.

Now he was wracking his brain for answers to questions he didn't even know how to ask. Ever since his night alone with Lucy on her other planet he'd been wondering nonstop about the way she makes him feel. These thoughts and emotions were all so new and…weird for Natsu. Everything with Lucy was new and weird. And fun. And Natsu kind of liked it all.

Okay, not kind of. More like he _really_ liked it all. But how was he supposed to say that?

"What's up, flame brain?" Gray asked, startling Natsu out of his reverie.

He looked over to find that Gray and Juvia had joined him at the bar. How did Natsu not hear them approaching? Natsu normally heard _every_ thing…Damn, he must have been more submerged in his own mind than he thought.

"You look more clueless than normal." Gray continued with a sly smile.

Natsu scowled. "Did I mention before that I didn't miss you at all, Ice Queen?"

Gray rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. We all know you couldn't stop thinking about me while you were gone." Gray snickered at Natsu's glare. "But seriously. What's up? Seems like something's on your mind."

"Juvia agrees!" The girl piped in. "Natsu appears to be thinking very deeply about something."

If Natsu didn't know any better, he'd guess that Gray was actually worried about him. Until, of course, Gray went on to say, "Which is saying a lot considering you don't think much."

Natsu growled but otherwise made no attempt to reply. He wasn't a liar, but he also wasn't about to admit to Gray what _all_ his thoughts have been surrounded around lately. So he said nothing and glared instead.

That only seemed to please Gray for some reason. A smirk crept onto his lips that gave Natsu an urge to flee before the conversation could go any further. But the dragon slayer wasn't the type of person to run away from anything, which was a trait that he was quickly beginning to regret.

"Let me guess. It has something to do with a certain blonde-haired celestial mage, right?"

Natsu's frown deepened. Yup. He should have ran. "For all we know there could be a ton of blonde celestial mages out there. I'm afraid you'll have to be more specific." Natsu's voice dripped with sarcasm.

"Okay, if you're going to be like that, then fine." Gray obliged. "It has something to do with Lucy." Natsu opened his mouth but Gray hurried to finish before he could say anything. "Lucy _Heartfilia_ , to be exact, just so you don't start spouting off how many 'Lucys' there are in the world."

Natsu's mouth closed with a snap. He lowered his head until his cheek was resting against the cool, smooth bar top and stared off into the distance. "What exactly makes you say that?" The dragon slayer muttered.

He glanced up at the ice mage to find the smug expression only growing stronger. "Ugh, and _why_ are you looking at me like that?"

"No reason." Gray full on grinned before uncertainty took over and he awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "Look, I'm just…uh."

"Spit it out, stripper." Natsu said, his patience running dry. He was suddenly itching to fight the male, for the _millionth_ time.

Gray huffed out his annoyance. "Nothing! Forget it, stupid fire ant." The ice mage grumbled as he crossed his arms.

Natsu raised a brow.

"Juvia thinks that what Gray-sama means to say is-"

"Oh God, Juvia, no." Gray interjected, but she went on as if she hadn't heard him.

"-is that his heart is happy for Natsu. Gray-sama is very happy for you and only wants the best for you both, that's why he is worried and wants to help."

Gray was already shaking his head before Juvia had even finished speaking. "Nope. No, not me. I dunno what she's talking about."

Juvia went on, talking right over his denial. "Juvia knows that Gray-sama is a very caring friend on the inside but is very slow to reveal his emotions. Which is why Juvia will patiently wait for you, Gray-sama!" She finished with a squeal and snuggled happily into his arm.

"Patiently?" Gray sweat dropped. "Yeah, right."

Natsu sniggered at the scene. "Happy for me, huh?" It was his turn to smirk. "Careful, Gray. She's letting out all your deepest, darkest secrets." Natsu laughed at the look on Gray's face before his own eyes widened and he lifted his head up off the bar top. "Wait, what does being happy for me have to do with Lucy?" Natsu asked curiously.

Gray and Juvia slowly turned their attention away from each other and stared blankly at Natsu.

After a few moments, Natsu's brow twitched. Okay, now he _really_ wanted to fight Gray.

Juvia broke the silence first. "Juvia does not know how to properly respond, Gray-sama."

"Riiight." Gray said, dragging out the word as he continued staring at the dragon slayer. "Natsu, I'm going to put this as bluntly as possible because you're a bit dense, but-"

" _Hey,_ I'm not-"

Gray held up a hand to cut him off and continued speaking. " _But_ Lucy is a pretty awesome girl and-"

"Gray-sama thinks that Love Rival is awesome?! Juvia's heart is broken!" Juvia cried out, burying her face in her hands.

"What're you gettin' at, Gray?" Natsu growled. "You already have Juvia, you better keep your hands to yourself."

"Yes, Juvia is all yours, Gray-sama! Please put your hands on Juvia instead!"

"Will you two _shut up_ and let me finish?"

The guilty duo closed their mouths with a pout from one and a grumble from the other.

"Listen, all I'm sayin' is that Lucy has clearly been good for you. I mean, come on, I haven't seen you like this, well, ever. It's like you're finally alive after being half asleep for so long. Not to mention she obviously likes you and of course you like-"

"What do you mean Lucy likes me?" Natsu asked in a voice a few octaves higher than normal, his body unintentionally perking up in the process. He cleared his throat before attempting to talk in a normal pace. "Er, I mean, yeah, of course she likes me. We're a team." He reasoned for his own well being; or so he thought.

He was met with yet another blank stare from his companions.

"Dude…" Gray shook his head.

Juvia covered her face with her hands once more. "Suddenly Juvia feels very bad for Love Rival."

Gray pat her back consolingly. "It's okay. At this point it's safe to say that she's just as clueless as he is. That's why they suit each other so well…they're the dense duo…"

" _Oi._ " Natsu said with a twitch. "Believe it or not, I get what you're tryin' to say. What I _don't_ understand is what makes you think she likes me too?"

Gray's eyes widened.

" _Too?_ " Juvia repeated with a squeal of delight. "There may be hope for Love Rival after all!"

Natsu gazed at them in confusion.

Gray shook his head. "You do realize that you just said you like her?"

"Err…what?" Natsu scratched his head as he thought back. "Did I say that?"

Gray face palmed. "No, of course not." He said mostly to answer himself. "How could you realize something like that with that pea-sized brain of yours?"

Natsu smacked a hand against the bar top. "That's it!" He exclaimed. "Fight me, Gr-"

"Listen, Natsu!" Gray matched Natsu's volume. "I'm _trying_ to help you, despite better judgment, and you're making it really hard not to punch you." Before Natsu could argue, Gray hurried on. "All I'm trying to say is just…pay attention next time you guys are together. I'm sure even _you_ will realize that you two do and say things that you wouldn't with other people."

Natsu's will to fight was snuffed out when he heard Gray giving him actual advice. He nodded slowly. Though he'd never admit it, Natsu actually really appreciated the guidance…he'd been at a complete loss before. Lucy had been weighing on his mind constantly as of late, what with the whole heart-racing and feeling-all-warm stuff going on. Was that what it felt like to… _like_ someone? Natsu had nothing in his past experiences to compare this to, so he had no idea how to know for sure…And if that _was_ the case, if Natsu _does_ like Lucy, then what was he supposed to do from there? Does Lucy even have those same weird feelings when she's around him?

Natsu was distracted from his thoughts when Gray clamped a hand on his shoulder. "I'm not trying to push you or anything. Just try and do what I said and pay attention. Figure it out for yourself how you two feel about each other, don't let us tell you how you feel." Gray smirked. "Even if it is _so_ obvious to everyone besides you both."

Natsu rubbed the back of his neck. He supposed now was the time he should probably thank the ice mage for the advice…but did they do things like that now? They never really had the kind of friendship that went through the motions like that, but right now it seemed kind of appropriate, since he really did appreciate Gray's help, albeit begrudgingly. It felt weird, but Natsu decided to give it a shot. If it didn't feel right, he could always just start a fight with Gray instead, right?

Natsu smiled at the thought, exposing his sharp canines. "I guess as far as advice goes you didn't do half bad. Thanks, Gra-"

"Natsu!" A voice called out, saving the two boys from the awkward exchange.

Immediately, Natsu's full, undivided attention was focused on the blonde. She had just emerged from an empty room and was currently making her way across from the other side of the guildhall. His body instinctively turned towards her, like a compass staying true to the north.

He was so focused on her and his own thoughts that he was able to easily dismiss Gray's snickers and Juvia's giggles, pushing them to the very far back corners of his mind. His eyes were glued to Lucy as she picked up her pace towards the bar with a vibrant smiled painted across her features.

 _Pay attention_ , Gray had said. And paying attention he certainly was. His heart began to race for some inexplicable reason, picking up it's pace to match Lucy's sprint. His heart never did that with anyone else. Difference number one, noted.

When Lucy was close, Natsu's face brightened to correspond with her smile. She came to a stop directly in front of where he sat on the bar stool, her body pressed right up against his knees.

His eyes zeroed in on the contact and then strayed a bit off course, traveling up her frame. He didn't realize what he was even doing until his eyes raked over her chest and his face warmed up immediately. He forced his gaze up to meet her eyes, trying to ignore the fact that he suddenly felt very hot.

Had he seriously just been checking her out? Since when was Natsu the type of guy to do something like that? No, he thought quickly, correction. He wasn't like _Loke._ He didn't go around ogling at all kinds of women…just Lucy apparently…which was difference number two, he jotted down in his memory with a gulp.

"-atsu?" Lucy's words called out to him. "Natsu? Did you hear me?"

Natsu quickly chased those thoughts away with a shake of his head. Lucy had been talking to him and he didn't even know it? Wow, he really was zoning out a lot today…He smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, didn't catch that. What'd'ya say?"

Lucy answered by shoving a hand in his face. It was so close to his eyes that it took a moment for them to focus on what she was showing him.

"Look!" She exclaimed with an evident smile in her voice. "I got my guild mark!" She said just as Natsu's eyesight adjusted, revealing a Fairy Tail emblem on the back of her right hand.

Natsu blinked as comprehension swam through his mind. So that's what Loke had meant when he said ' _officially_ becoming a Fairy Tail mage'. Now that he understood, the thought excited Natsu. She got the mark…didn't that make things with Lucy and Earthland a bit more…permanent? Natsu dared to hope.

His fingers lifted to graze the back of Lucy's hand, as if it would confirm the existence of the small little emblem.

"I was really nervous about getting it." Lucy admitted. "This is basically a tattoo, and on Earth, tattoos are done _a lot_ differently. People willingly choose to be stabbed over and over again with a needle just to get some ink on their skin, so the thought of tattoos has always been a little intimidating." Lucy's voice was filled with excitement as she chattered away.

"But _this_ was so easy. Well, I say easy, but it actually took me quite a while because I just couldn't make up my mind. I mean, this is the first permanent mark that I'm voluntarily making on my own body. Where was I even supposed to put it, ya know? So I spent some time thinking about what exactly Fairy Tail meant to me." Lucy's voice softened.

Natsu's eyes flickered up to meet hers. She looked flustered, as if she was nervous she was saying too much. Natsu grinned encouragingly and she continued. "A-and I realized that before I came here my life was simple. I-it was great, don't get me wrong! But it wasn't right…and I didn't become aware of that until I was already here, but…Fairy Tail makes me feel _alive_."

Natsu's eyes widened. Hadn't Gray just been saying something about how Natsu seemed more 'alive'? He continued listening intently.

"I've never felt _so_ _alive_. Being here, it's like everything is right for once. It's like I'm seeing things in color for the very first time. Getting to know you, being with you, I…feel at home. A-and with everyone else, of course!" She rushed to add that last part on before nervously continuing. "So yeah, I guess, um, that's what I came up with. That's what Fairy Tail means to me. And then I remembered this."

Lucy's fingers pointed to her wrist, averting Natsu's gaze down towards the mangled skin left over from Bora's putrid flames.

"I thought back to our talk that night…Remember what I said this scar represented?"

Natsu nodded automatically. How could he forget?

Lucy smiled softly. "So, I figured…what better place to put the symbol of the guild that makes me feel alive than right above the scar that _proves_ I'm alive?"

His eyes darted back up to Lucy's. For once in his life, Natsu was speechless. He was amazed by how much thought Lucy had put behind it. And he was shocked that she could take such a terrifying experience, like the one at the lighthouse, and turn it into something so meaningful and beautiful. But above all, he was overwhelmingly thankful. Thankful that Lucy had fallen into his life, literally, and thankful that she seemed just as happy about it as he was. He was filled with all of these emotions, but he just couldn't figure out how to put those feeling into words, which was a true rarity for Natsu.

Before he could come up with anything, Lucy let out a nervous giggle. "Wow, I didn't realize how cheesy that was going to sound…umm, yeah, so…" She flashed him a wide smile. "I guess I'm pretty lame, and weird, and apparently I come with this whole package deal of chaos, and mystery keys, and all sorts of other problems; but it looks you're just going to have to deal with it now that I'm an _official_ member of the guild."

Natsu snorted. "Hate to break it to ya, Luce, but I knew you were weird from the first time I met you. Don't know if I'll ever get used to it or not, but I'll manage somehow." He teased, which caused Lucy to puff out her cheeks.

"But," He hurried on. "I don't think you're lame. A package deal of chaos, maybe, but lame, no." His fingers traced over her new guild mark before trailing around to her palm and intertwining themselves with her own. "I think it looks great. You literally couldn't have chosen a better place for it." He eyed their interlocked hands with amusement. He would never hold hands with anyone else without it feeling weird; difference number three. "I am surprised about one thing, though. I didn't really peg you for a girl that liked pink that much."

Lucy's face flooded with color.

"Not that there's anything wrong with that!" Natsu said, misunderstanding her embarrassment. "I'm just surprised is all."

Lucy barked out a rather edgy laugh that had Natsu tilting his head at her. "Y-yeah, I, uh, didn't really think I liked pink much either un…til…recently." Her voice trailed off. If she turned any more red, Natsu thought she was going to explode.

This only caused his confusion to increase. "Then why'd ya choose it?" Her guild mark seemed very well thought out, so he figured there must be a reason behind her choice of color.

"W-well…um." Lucy cleared her throat a couple of times. "I-I, uh, wouldn't have found Fairy Tail at all if it wasn't for…um, well, if it wasn't for y-…ah, no, nevermind, it's nothing!" Lucy waved her free hand around in the air. "No reason at all, just a silly color!"

Natsu stared. If it wasn't for y-? What was that supposed to mean? "What're you talkin' about? I brought you here. I don't know whose name starts with a 'y', but I think you might be confused."

Natsu was suddenly smacked, hard, on the back of the head.

"Ow!" He roared, swiveling around on his bar stool to face the culprit.

"You deserved it for being so _dense!_ " Gray shot back. "See, that's exactly what I'm talking about!"

Natsu rubbed the spot on his head with his free hand. He'd honesty forgotten all about the presence of Gray and Juvia until that painful moment…

"She was going to say 'you', you idiot!" Gray's finger jutted into Natsu's chest. "Not someone's name that started with a freakin' 'y'." Gray's eyes rolled dramatically before settling on Lucy's scarlet face. "Sorry, Lucy, but this guy's hopeless. It was just too sad to watch."

"It's okay, Gray…" Lucy mumbled.

It was then that Natsu understood. _Pink._ That was him! She chose that color because of him! Because _he_ was the one that brought her to Fairy Tail. Natsu's face soon matched Lucy's in terms of color. Why did he suddenly feel hot again? And _really_ happy. His mind raced, alongside his heart, with all of the thoughts he'd been having about her, combined with the conversation he and Gray had had about her too. Does this mean he liked her? Did that mean she liked him?

She seemed afraid of his reaction, which he found to be cute. _Cute._ Natsu didn't normally think of things as cute!

He let out an exhale and collapsed against Lucy's shoulder, all of the energy suddenly leaving his body. His arms wrapped around her, pulling her closer to him than she already was. He didn't know what to say, all he knew was that this was the only thing he wanted to do.

"Uh." Lucy was unsure what his reaction meant, but she was quick to circle her arms around him as well, despite her surprise.

"Welcome to Fairy Tail, Luce." Natsu breathed. " _Officially_ , I mean."

Lucy smiled warmly, eyeing his pink locks as he rested his forehead on her shoulder. It wasn't until she felt a nagging suspicion that eyes were on her that her gaze traveled up to find Juvia and Gray indeed staring directly at her from behind Natsu's back.

They were both wearing similar sly grins and holding their thumbs up towards her. Lucy was mortified. She was certain her ears were going to start steaming with how hot her face felt in that moment. But for some bizarre reason, she didn't want it to end either.

However, all things come to an eventual end. And they had a lot of work to do.

Lucy pulled back ever so slightly. "N-Natsu…I, um, have someone I'd like for you to meet."

That caught Natsu's attention. He lifted his head up from her shoulder and waited for her to continue.

"Actually, it's someone that everyone in the guild needs to meet." Lucy peered around Natsu again to meet Gray' eyes. "Gray, Juvia, could you gather everyone together for me? I need to go get Loke and our, um, guest."

"Sure." Gray complied, and him and Juvia disappeared to find their scattered comrades.

Now alone, Natsu and Lucy seemed to simultaneously realize just how closely they were holding each other. They straightened up with similarly flushed faces and light smiles. Despite their rosy cheeks, neither one of them felt awkward or embarrassed with the other. Truthfully, they were both pretty happy, although slightly confused by their feelings.

Lucy's grin widened as she grabbed both of Natsu's hands and pulled him off of the bar stool. "Come on, Natsu. I want you to meet her first!"

Natsu's head tilted as he allowed himself to be dragged along by Lucy. "Uh, who're we meetin' again?"

"Mavis!" Lucy glanced back only to shake her head at Natsu's blank expression. "Seriously? We _just_ talked about this with Loke, you know. I swear you have the worst memory in existence."

Natsu rolled his eyes while making incoherent grumbles.

Lucy laughed. "Mavis Vermillion. I'm taking you to meet Fairy Tail's First Master!"

OoOoOoO

It goes without saying that every guild member had pretty hilarious reactions to meeting Mavis. First up had been Natsu, who's first thought was to declare a challenge against Mavis in battle. Lucy had to coax him down while Mavis had cheerfully laughed at the encounter.

Next had been Makarov, followed closely behind by Mira. Master nearly fainted upon seeing Mavis in the flesh. Well, not in the literal sense of 'in the flesh', but saying 'in an incorporeal form of her previously alive physical body' seemed kind of like a mouthful…Mira had caught Makarov before he hit the ground, completely thrown off guard with shock.

Next came the introduction of Mavis to the entire guild, which was met with varying degrees of surprise, excitement, and awe. Some people cooed over how adorable she was, while others were in tears over having the honor of meeting Fairy Tail's founding master. Lucy giggled as she watched the interactions and events unfold before her; her guild mates sure had the most dramatic reactions to everything.

Once everyone had their fill of 'awing', and 'ooing', and shaking Mavis's hand, the long stream of questions began pouring in. How exactly was she there? Was she a ghost? Was something holding her back from moving on? How did she meet her untimely end? How old was she? What kind of magic does she wield?

Eventually, Makarov had had enough. " _Will you hooligans shut up?!_ The First is our guest and you are all to treat her with the highest of respect or I will flatten each one of you like a pancake!"

Mavis merely giggled at the outburst, assuring Master that it was only normal for everyone to be curious. "I'm sure you all have a lot more questions. I'll try to answer them all…eventually. But right now, I think we have more important matters to discuss."

Now everyone in the guild, aside from Erza and certain mages that were away on jobs, sat gathered around Mavis, Lucy, and Natsu, eager to hear what the First Master had to say.

"I believe that Lucy mentioned she already filled some of you all in on mostly everything going on. For those of you that weren't here for that, I'll give you the gist of the details to save time." Mavis began. She sat atop one of the table's surfaces, her legs dangling off the edge, kicking back and forth. It was almost too hard to believe that someone with such an innocent, childlike appearance was about to give them advice on battle strategies.

"To keep things short, Fairy Tail is soon going to be at war."

"Ain't nothin' new about that." Wakaba muttered while exhaling a large puff of smoke from his cigar.

He was silenced by a deadly glare from Makarov for interrupting.

Mavis continued as though nothing had happened. "But it is not just Fairy Tail's fate that is at stake. Losing this war would mean the loss of the entirety of Earthland, and, as you know, we cannot allow that to happen."

"Sorry to interrupt, First, but what exactly are we up against that could do that?" Macao asked apologetically.

Mavis smiled darkly, an expression that didn't look quite right on her angelic features. "We are facing the Dark Mage, Zeref, and his _extremely_ loyal followers."

The guildhall filled with murmurs and gasps of horror from those that hadn't already heard about Zeref from Lucy.

" _Zeref?_ " Bisca repeated in shock. "But how is that possible?"

"It shouldn't be." Alzack answered uncertainly. "He existed, what, hundreds of years ago? It _shouldn't_ be possible."

Mavis nodded once. "I know it's a lot to take it. And it's hard to believe. But Zeref is capable of living for a lot longer than that unless we find a way to stop him."

"What do you mean, First Master? How is Zeref able to live that long?" Mira asked softly.

Mavis sighed. "It's because he is immortal."

" _Immortal?_ " Max exclaimed. "That's impossible!" He looked around at everyone as if hoping someone would agree with him. "I mean, seriously, if Zeref was immortal, then why haven't we heard anything about him over the past few hundred years? He's been long gone!"

"It does seem a bit odd…" Macao agreed solemnly.

"Exactly! Did we all forget who we're talking about here?" Max continued with vigor having heard someone _slightly_ back him up. "This is the _Black Mage._ The creator of the world's deadliest demons, master of the black arts! If he's been alive over the past four hundred years, I think we would have known." He paused to look at Mavis with a strained smile. "Could you tell us how you even know for sure that he's immortal? Or alive?"

"I…" Mavis started, but trailed off and lowered her gaze.

"So, no? Maybe you're misinformed." Max was speaking desperately now. "I mean, maybe the First just doesn't know all of what she's talking abo-ack!"

Max's sentence cut off, when he was sent flying backwards by a giant ball of flames. Once he'd managed to pat out the fire, he jolted to his feet. " _Natsu!_ " He snarled, shaking a fist at the dragon slayer. Before he could say another word, however, he was smacked into the ground by a giant fist.

Lucy's eyes boggled as she stared at the giant appendage. She followed it back to find that the _very_ enlarged hand belonged to the still _very_ tiny Makarov. _Whoa_ , she thought with admiration, and only a slight tang of fear. That was her first time witnessing Master's magic and she was thoroughly impressed.

Makarov, on the other hand, was not amused in the least. "I said that Mavis was to be shown the highest of respect, did I not?"

"A-aye." Max groaned from the floor. "S-sorry, First."

Natsu rolled his eyes when he saw that Lucy was looking at him. "It doesn't matter how Mavis knows it." He said, answering her unspoken question. "If she says he's immortal, then he's immortal. We should just put our faith in her. Without trust, our guild would crumble before we knew it."

Lucy smiled at him. "Of course." She leaned her head against his shoulder for only a moment before turning towards the First when she started speaking once again.

"No, I'm sorry. I know that this is a lot. And it's not exactly the easiest news to hear. Some of you have had extremely devastating pasts thanks to the demons of the books of Zeref…and I know that you would rather believe in any other possibility than the one where he could be alive. But I _do_ know for sure. I know because Zeref and I used to…know one another."

All eyes widened as they watched Mavis's expression morph into a sad smile.

"But that will have to be a story saved for later. If we could, please, I'd like to focus again on what's in front of us, not what's in the past."

Silence followed as everyone absorbed this new information. Zeref and Mavis knew each other? How? _When?_

Lucy watched as Mavis folded and unfolded her hands. Whatever happened between the two of them in the past clearly made Mavis uncomfortable. It wasn't fair for her to feel like that when she was there to help them. So Lucy spoke up, hoping to divert everyone's attention elsewhere.

"So, Mavis…How do we stop an extremely powerful immortal wizard?"

Mavis seemed to perk up from the question. She flashed a grateful smile towards Lucy before answering. "I have a few theories. Although none of them involve a way to reverse his immortality…I haven't been able to figure that one out yet, unfortunately, but I do have some ideas that might prevent him from completing his cataclysmic goal, whatever it is."

"Let's hear 'em." Natsu encouraged with a wide grin.

"To start, I think that it's pertinent we find all twelve of the zodiac keys." She pulled out a map, Lucy recognized it as the one Loke had shown her, and flattened it out on the table.

"For some reason, Zeref has ordered his followers to confiscate all of these keys and scatter them around in extremely dangerous locations. We can only assume that he is having this done because the zodiac keys could, in some way, interfere with his plan. If we can find and secure all twelve keys in our possession, then we may have an advantage against Zeref."

Lucy felt a pang in her chest. "So…you want us to keep them? Not return them to their original owners?"

Mavis locked eyes with Lucy. "Only temporarily, of course." Mavis assured, understanding Lucy's hesitance. "Once we have fulfilled our goal you can return them to their rightful places."

Lucy nodded grimly. She was going to have to speak with Yukino and ask if it would be okay…she didn't feel right 'borrowing' the girl's spirits, even if it was for a good cause.

Natsu took her hand. "S'okay. Yukino will understand when she hears what's going on." He said, reading her mind with ease.

"What else, First?" Makarov asked.

"Well, obviously our ranks are incomplete without Erza. And it has also been brought to my attention that Lucy's mother has been taken into custody and is being held at the Heartfilia manor. Not only that, but three zodiac keys are there as well, so our first, and most logical, move is to infiltrate the estate and rescue all of the aforementioned. But I also believe it would be in our best interest to find out what we can from Jude Heartfilia. If my hunch is correct, then he may know a thing or two about Zeref's plans that could be beneficial to us."

"It's gonna be weird rescuing Erza for once, huh?" Gray said.

Natsu laughed. "Damn right. We gotta rub it in big time when we see her!"

"Shush, guys." Lucy held a finger up to her lips to silence them. "Let her finish."

"Next, I think the best strategy would be to take out Zeref's followers. They're dedicated to him and only to him, which means they're basically his suit of armor. If we take care of them first, then Zeref is left with no one to protect him."

"So how are we supposed to do that?" Nab asked from his post by the job board. Lucy doubted that he _ever_ left that spot…

"Yeah, his followers are Tartaros, right? Natsu only encountered two of them and he said he'd never felt anything like it…" Macao repressed a shudder.

"Strategically, of course." Mavis answered with a determined grin. "Zeref sends them out for certain things every now and again. Whether it's for keys or for gathering materials for…something that Zeref is building. What we do is wait for them to separate and then we attack when their defenses are down, when they're alone. They can't see me because they don't bear the Fairy Tail emblem. So if I keep watch at all times, I can inform you through a communication lacrima when one of them goes off alone. You'll then send out a group and we can take them out that way, one by one, until Zeref is left alone."

"I can help assure our victory by unlocking everyone's second origins." Ultear added. "If Tartaros is as strong as you say, then we should do what we can to strengthen ourselves as well."

Mavis nodded. "Whatever it takes to win."

"Cool." Gray returned Mavis's grin with a smirk. "You're kind of hardcore, First. I like it."

Juvia's eyes widened. Her head snapped to Mavis. "Oh no…Juvia cannot compete with First Master as a Love Rival too!"

Mavis's jaw dropped. "Excuse me?" She asked uncertainly.

Lucy leaned over. "Don't worry, she does that a lot…just ignore it."

"O-okay…um, moving on…" Mavis continued. "Once we're certain of Tartaros' defeat, then we can move in on Zeref. By that time, we will have hopefully discovered what Zeref is building and how the zodiac keys come into play with all of this."

Makarov waited until she was finished before nodding. "Understood." He then turned to face his guild. "Well, children, we have a goal to achieve and a plan set to achieve it. From the sounds of it, there are a lot of lives at stake here. It is our duty to protect those lives. It is our duty to protect _each other._ However, I will not send any of you into battle without your consent first. What do we say? Is everyone on board for saving the world one more time?"

"With pleasure." Mira smiled cheerfully.

"'One more time'? Good one, Gramps. We all know the world will need our saving a couple more times after this too. Which is why we're gonna win for sure." Natsu jumped to his feet. "I'm fired up now!"

"I'll cheers to that!" Cana grinned, holding her mug high in the air to prove it. "Bottoms up!"

One by one, everyone in the guild belted out their confirmation and approval until the hall completely erupted in cheers and shouts of excitement.

Mavis's eyes nearly glowed as she watched the happy chaos unfold.

Lucy smiled as she observed Mavis's reaction. "They're pretty great, aren't they?"

Mavis didn't take her eyes off the guild as she responded. "Yes. They're exactly what I wanted this guild to be." She finally tore her eyes away to connect with Lucy's. "I'm happy to see that you found your home within my home, Lucy."

Lucy's eyes widened ever so slightly before softening with affection. "Yeah. Me too. Thank you, Mavis."

It was then that the doors to the guildhall flew open, and Levy and Gajeel filed in with arms full of scrolls and documents. They stopped when they reached the table where Makarov, Mavis, and Lucy sat.

"What's with the cheerin'?" Gajeel grumbled. "Can't this place ever just be quiet?"

"Hush, you." Levy chastised. "You're probably one of the loudest ones of them all, aside from Natsu."

Somewhere from within the crowd of boisterous guild members, Natsu yelled out, "Hey! I heard that, bookworm!"

Levy giggled before setting her load of parchments down on the table in front of Makarov. "Here they are, Master. I had to contact Hibiki from Blue Pegasus and asked him to use his archive magic to look up the blueprints you requested. And since it would have taken too long for him to bring them here personally, he telepathically transferred the information to me and I sketched them all out." She held up her hands to reveal the inky blotches all over them. "It took awhile, but I got them done." Levy unrolled the scrolls revealing nearly perfect blueprints of a rather large building, a different scroll for each floor of the structure.

"There are four floors total. Each blueprint has every window, door, and room marked in detail." Levy seemed proud of her work before moving on to her next set of papers. "This map shows the way that the normal roads take to get there." She said as she pointed along a marked trail. "But this one," She pulled out another with a different trail. "Shows what I think would be the best way to go in order to stay concealed."

Master rubbed him fingers through his beard as he examined the documents. "Good work, Levy. This will be very helpful."

Lucy was looking over Master's shoulder, trying to make sense of the landmarks she was seeing but knew that it was no use. She was about to ask what all of these were for until Mavis spoke up first, answering her silent question.

"These maps lead up to the Heartfilia Konzern Headquarters. That means these blueprints…" Mavis trailed off.

"Yup." Levy confirmed her guess. "They're the blueprints of the Heartfilia Manor." Levy admired her work once more before her eyes traveled up to meet the stranger whom she was speaking to. "This will give us an advantage if we know exactly how to- Oh my God, you're Mavis Vermillion!" Levy cut off as recognition washed through her.

She glanced between Mavis, Makarov, and Lucy. "She-She's the First Master!" Levy's eyes settled on Mavis's green orbs. "You're Mavis Vermillion!" She repeated.

"Oi, shrimp, I think you're malfunctionin' or somethin'." Gajeel tapped her on the back of the head.

She swatted his hand away impatiently. "I've read so much about you! I've seen your picture! You're…you!" Her eyes filled with the wonder and amazement that everyone else had experienced earlier while meeting Mavis. "Lu, what is Mavis Vermillion doing here?!"

Mavis giggled while holding out a hand. "Hi. It's nice to meet you. Levy, I think it was?"

Levy accepted and shook it eagerly. "Y-yes! Likewise!"

"Follow me. I can fill you both in on everything you missed. And thank you, for the blueprints. They'll be extremely helpful." Mavis smiled as she led Gajeel and Levy away.

The bluenette seemed as though she was going to burst with joy.

Before they disappeared into the office, Mavis glanced back. "Makarov. If it's alright with you, I think you should find the woman that offered her assistance in opening everyone's second origins. The sooner it happens, the sooner we can make our first move."

Makarov nodded, but when the door to his office closed behind Mavis he made no effort to get up from his seat.

Lucy looked up at him curiously from the maps. "Master?" He was watching the guild members fondly, which caused Lucy to do the same. "Would you like me to find Ultear for you?" She offered.

"Not just yet, dear." Master smiled warmly at Lucy. "I want to let them celebrate and enjoy themselves for just a little while longer."

Lucy's eyes watered as she felt the deep love and admiration Makarov felt for his children wash over her. She looked back at the smiling faces of the guild members cheering each other on, and she couldn't help mimicking Makarov's warm expression as she observed. "Yeah." She agreed softly. "Good idea."

* * *

 **Ahhhh, oh, I love writing Natsu's POV! He's my all time favorite character. Ahh. Yes, yes. SO! This chapter had a lot of talk about feelinggsss. Which is good! Steps in the right direction, eh?**

 **What did you guys think? Let me know your thoughts! You know I love hearing them ^_^**

 **FairyTailLover04 : Ahh, and this one missed you as well!;D Thank you for continuing to read despite my varying distances between updates! I've been getting back into the routine lately though and I'm updating biweekly!:D I got my groove back! I'm hoping to change biweekly to weekly, which would be awesome! **

**SulliMike23 : That damn autocorrect, I feel you T^T My phone betrays me everyday because of it! And you have a good hunch there about Jude! Hmm, but is there something more? I guess we'll seee~! :) Haha, thank you for reviewing!**

 **Life Death rabidlovingfangirl : AHH! YES! You described them perfectly: DENSE. Thus, the dense duo was born! Hahaha, I would love to help you smash their lips together. You push Lucy, I'll push Natsu. Go team! Hahaha, thank you so much! And thank you for saying you love this story! You have no idea how happy that makes me! T^T **

**The Age of Awesomeness : Welcome baaaaaacccckkkk!:D Ahh, thank you! I'll definitely check out your faves now I'm going to have some downtime over the next couple of days. I have time off work, finally! T^T YAY! And oh, hey, I started with the anime too! To be quite honest with you, I _hated_ Fairy Tail when I first watched it. I don't know what it was, but I just couldn't get into it. But then one night I was working on a painting and I like to put on anime in the background while I paint. So I decided to just put FT on as background noise even though I didn't like it, and next thing I knew I was binge-watching the entire series and it _completely_ took over my life. And now I'm writing my first fanfiction ever, haha. I did the same as you once I ran out of episodes, I binge read the manga, which I agree is sooo much better. Thank you again for reviewing! It's always a pleasure!:D**

 **arcadea333 : AHHHHH, I LOVE WRITING THE GRUVIA! They're both so precious in their own precious ways! Juvia is just so pure! And Gray cares about her so much even if he can't even admit it to himself! AHHHH, I THINK I'M LOSING MYSELF IN SHIPPING MADNESS! Ahhhhh, I don't knowww, is Erza okay? Maybe, maybe not. maybeeee. AH! But hey, we find out soon! Yay! AND AH YES! Lucy is on the hunt to save those keys, get emmmmm, Lucy, save those keyssss! Haha, it's okay! Everyone forgot that she wasn't official yet, butttt SOUND THE ALARM! It's time to celebrate because Lucy is nowww officially a Fairy Tail mage! (Although she already has been one as far as I'm concerned, but you know:P) Also, I talked to the sting ray. No brothers or sisters, but he said to give him a call;)**

 **FireShifter : I know! It's awesome that we've come this far! Hehehe, thank you so much! I'm glad that you're enjoying the progression of their relationship, although they are both very oblivious when it comes to their emotions. With Lucy having no experience with relationships aside from her mother, and Natsu being, well, Natsu...haha. I think they're doing what they can and learning these new emotions together. And I think they're finally moving forward! Yay! My babiesss. Haha, 'Erza scary' is fun to write about!And yes, Gray's commentary is always so funny! Makarov is so wise and caring about his guild, I love it...and it makes me sad thinking about him...T^T Hehe, Hmmm, there's a lot of mystery and controversy going on around Jude! Good thing he'll be entering the story soon and we can all find out!:D Ahhhh, thank you so much! Your reviews make me so extremely happy! You're awesome^_^ Thank you, and I hope you enjoyed this one!**

 **NaluNom : AHHH, WASN'T IT SO AWESOME?! I got hooked almost instantly! Now I eagerly await each and every chapter update! So adorableee.**

 **peacerockgirl123 : You're very welcome! :D Ahh, I feel weird writing so little. Sooo, I hope you've had a wonderful day!:D Anddd, thank you for reviewing again! ^_^**

 **Dark Shining Light : Oh my gosh, thank you so much! That made me really excited and happy to hear! I was pretty pleased with how the last chapter turned out, so I'm glad that someone else felt the same way! Hahaha, Natsu's reactions to Loke are fun to write. Ah, thank youuu again! You're really awesome for reviewing and I hope you enjoyed this chapter just as much as the last!:D**

 **Darlene : HIIIII!:D Ahh, welcome backkkkk! *******runs and tackles you into a hug*** First of all, holy cow, you're ravendaydream?! AHH, that's so awesome! You probably got a follow from my personal account, which is 'kenzypirate'. Since I have two blogs, but the personal account is the master account, it only allows that account to follow people. But AH, SMALL WORLD! *squeals in excitment* Yay for being online friends, because honestly, sometimes they're the best ones! You literally bond just by talking to one another and sharing similar interests rather than building relationships based on ulterior motives that are common irl. Haha, sorry, got a little emotional and philosophical there. It's been a long week T^T I haven't been able to fall asleep before 6 am for the past 8 days straight, I think I'm becoming an insomniac and now I'm losing it...more than usual! XD hahaha. Ahhh, you're replies are always so wonderful! And yay for NaLu progress, they fill my heart with so much love! I'm glad you enjoyed your holidays! I enjoyed mine as well, thank you for asking :3 It's crazy, it hasn't felt like winter at all yet this year! It's been so warm! AHH, Darlene, you rock! Your replies are so much fun to read and to reply to! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I hope to hear from you soon! ^_^ *glomps you while saying goodbye* **

**T3amD0bby : Hahaha, it's completely fine, I think that almost everyone else forgot that she wasn't _officially_ a Fairy Tail mage, but in Natsu's eyes (and everyone else's) she already was one of them, emblem or no emblem:D I think even Lucy forgot she wasn't official until today! Thank you for reading! Hahaha, and I need to go back and reread it myself! XD **

**Wowww, thank you guys so much! Ahh, you all are so awesome! I'll continue to say it over and over again! T^T**

 **Thank you, thank you, thank you!**

 **Have a wonderful day/night!**

 **Until next time!**

 **XOXO**

 **-Mac**


	32. Second Origins

**Hello all you lovely souls!**

 **So sorry about the longish break. We just started a new promotion at work and I'm training to become a manager, so time has been strict for me lately. Plus, I've been focusing a lot on my art in the free time that I do have.**

 **But I'm back with an exciting chapter! Well, to me anyway:p**

 **Anyway, without further ado!**

 **Enjoy~**

* * *

Lucy stood beneath the blazing sun in a wide open field with a few other hand selected guild members, chatting absently in the heat. It was decided that, in order to stay inconspicuous and move stealthily, a small team would be sent on the mission to rescue Erza, Layla, and the zodiac keys.

This team included Lucy, Natsu, and Happy, for obvious reasons, as well as Gray, who is a member of Team Natsu, and Juvia, who wouldn't allow Gray to go without her. It was then determined that Levy would go with them as well, seeing as she had already remembered the layout of the Heartfilia manor and would make the perfect guide. This meant that Gajeel and Pantherlily would of course be going along also. Jellal volunteered himself to go, not only because of his connection to Zeref and the possibility of finding out information pertaining to him, but also because he was extremely worried about Erza, though he tried his hardest not to show it. The other two members of Crime Sorciere were to stay behind and await their return to Fairy Tail, seeing as the group was already getting rather large. Lastly, and definitely most reluctantly, it was decided that Warren would accompany the team. However, he was to remain hidden outside of the the manor, his sole purpose to keep everyone connected telepathically in case anything went wrong and someone was in danger.

When everyone had been selected, Ultear herded the group outside into an open area. She claimed that it would be better that way, so as to avoid breaking things inside the guild. At the time, Lucy had been confused about why anything would be broken, but she would soon find out the reason firsthand.

Now that everyone was gathered, Ultear began to speak.

"As I said before, your second origin is like a vessel of stored, unused magic power within your bodies. Unlocking this vessel is supposed to be a natural process that happens when our magic power has reached a certain point, like a level cap. Once you managed to increase your power to that extent, then your second origin would open naturally, nearly doubling your magic potential and allowing you to move on to the next level." Ultear paused to look around. "Does everyone understand so far?"

There was a mixture of nods and murmurs of 'yes'.

Ultear continued. "Good. That being said, my magic is not the 'natural' way of unlocking the second origin. Therefore, when my magic forces this process to happen ahead of time, your bodies will have an…unpleasant reaction. It is perfectly safe, I assure you all…But it will be painful."

The clearing was silent for a moment as everyone absorbed this information. Lucy chewed on her lower lip in thought. Ultear's explanation made sense…Forcing something that is _supposed_ to come naturally surely isn't going to be a pleasant experience. But no pain, no gain, right?

Lucy shook her head. She never thought she'd be the one to use that saying in a real life situation.

She was snapped out of her thoughts when Natsu cupped her chin with his hand and used his thumb to gently pull her bottom lip free from her teeth's gnawing abuse. Lucy's eyes immediately widened, face reddening at the intimate contact. Or was it not intimate at all? She didn't know anymore.

He, however, showed no signs of embarrassment. "Stop that." He chided before releasing his soft hold on her chin. His face transformed into a wide grin. "And don't worry. We'll be fine. No pain, no gain!" He declared, echoing Lucy's exact thought from just a moment before.

Whoa. Either they had some crazy brainwave connections going on or Natsu and Lucy were more similar than they thought.

The blonde returned his smile. "Agreed." She said just in time before Ultear started speaking again.

She found it hard to pay attention to the black-haired woman now, seeing as her thoughts were all muddled with how warm Natsu's thumb had been on her lip. How was she supposed to focus after that?

"So, does anyone have any questions?"

Lucy slipped out of tune when Warren began asking questions about how the magic worked.

What was she even supposed to make of Natsu's behavior? It's not like she could recall him being that way with anyone else…only with her. Well, she hoped at least.

Her eyes widened as she realized that was the truth. She really did hope that Natsu was like that only with her. But was that fair? If they were _just_ friends, then she shouldn't want him to treat her differently than his other friends. But who was she kidding, really? She's known for a long time now that she doesn't want Natsu to treat others the way he treats her…so then did that mean she didn't want to be friends?

She blanched at her own thoughts. No, of course she wanted to be friends! Natsu was her best friend and she wouldn't change that for anything. But could you be best friends with somebody and also be…more?

Lucy shook her head fervently, hoping to rid herself of those pondering reflections. Thinking like that was dangerous. What if something happened and it ruined their friendship? What if he didn't want to be…more?

 _UGH, FOCUS, LUCY!_ She demanded herself, trying to tune back in on the answers to Warren's questions that were being delivered by Ultear.

"Now that everyone understands the process, are we all ready to continue?"

Another murmur of agreement spread throughout the crowd, aside from Lucy who was still somewhat in lalaland. Sure, she wanted to pay attention. This was important, after all. But try as she might, she couldn't stop her thoughts from leading back to that warm, tingly feeling on her bottom lip.

"Good." Ultear stated. "Now…any volunteers to go first?" She wiggled her fingers in the air with a half-smile.

That was all it took to snap Lucy right out of her daze.

Most of the group was silent, but she took a step forward immediately. This was it! She'd been waiting for this increase in power ever since she first heard Ultear mention it. Whatever painful experience awaited her, she knew it was necessary in order to rescue her Mom and Erza, and then to help save the world. She would gladly volunteer to go first any day to accomplish that goal.

And it seemed like she wasn't the only one…

"Me!" Natsu, Lucy, and Gray said simultaneously.

Their heads immediately snapped to each other's directions. "No, me." They spoke in unison once more.

" _Huh?_ " Third times the charm, their voices echoed one another flawlessly.

Lucy waved her hands in the air, breaking free of the jinx they were stuck in. She was about to protest when another person stepped forward, joining the three volunteers.

"If Gray-Sama is going first then Juvia would like to go first too!" She gleamed while jumping up and down.

"Uh, Juvia. I think you're a little too overly excited for something that's going to hurt…" Gray pointed out.

"Juvia's heart would hurt more if she watched Gray-Sama suffer alone!" She whined before hooking her arms around his. "So Juvia will share Gray-Sama's pain instead."

Gray flushed, but thankfully no one noticed due to Gajeel stepping forward.

"If the Salamander and Icicle over here are having a pissing contest, then I need to join in too." He grinned. "Gihi."

Levy pinched the bridge of her nose with a sigh. "Gajeel, no…"

Pantherlily shook his head at the scene. "You do know that 'pissing contest' is a derogatory term used to describe fools competing in something trivial just for the sake of winning, right?"

Gajeel didn't even so much as blink. " _So?_ "

The giant cat sighed. " _So_ it's not a good thing to be a part of…"

"Leave him be, Lily." Levy said in mock-defeat. "He's a lost cause."

Soon everyone was bickering about who should go first and who shouldn't. Knowing Fairy Tail, Lucy had a feeling that an all-out war was on the verge of breaking out and she had to act fast.

"Okay, okay, stop!" She yelled.

For the most part, everyone quieted down, aside from the three boys who were glaring at each other with their foreheads nearly bumping.

Lucy rolled her eyes and squeezed her body in between the three of them.

"Juvia knew it!" The water mage cried. "Love Rival is trying to force herself onto Gray-Sama now!"

"What? No!" Lucy groaned. "I'm trying to break these hotheads apart!"

"The only hothead over here is that pyromaniac with the slanty eyes." Gray grumbled.

"Say that to my face, Gray!" Natsu growled.

" _I am_ , i-di-ot." Gray broke his sentence down into syllables, adding insult to injury. "There, slow enough for you?"

 _"What is the meaning of this?!"_

Everyone froze on the spot, fear spreading down their spines. In reality, the sight must have been pretty comical. Lucy was wedged in the middle of Gray, Natsu, and Gajeel, trying to push the three of them apart, while Gray and Natsu were reaching over Lucy's head, grabbing onto each other's shirts. Juvia was hanging off Gray's back with her arms wrapped around his neck, and Gajeel's hand was transformed into an iron fist, about to knock an unsuspecting Natsu on the back of his head.

Yeah, it would have been comical…if they weren't now staring directly into the eyes of the wrath of Master Makarov. Mavis, however, who stood behind Master, giggled innocently.

"Oh, this looks like fun." She said sweetly.

Makarov, on the other hand, didn't seem to hear her. "I had a feeling we needed to come and check on the progress, and what do I find? _My brats being brats!_ Do you need constant supervision or do you just _like_ giving your old man headaches?!"

Everyone broke apart instantly, standing up perfectly straight. A plethora of excuses began streaming from everyone's mouth, explaining who was right, who was wrong, who was at fault, who deserved to go first, etc.

"That's it! If you're going to act like children, then we're going to decide like children!" Makarov declared as a vein throbbed in his forehead. "Rock, Paper, Scissors, _now."_

Protests filled the air until Makarov glared, then everyone got into position with nothing more than a grumble.

"There are five of you, so-"

"Juvia and Gray-Sama can be considered one." Juvia cooed.

Makarov and Gray both rolled their eyes. "Very well, there are _four_ of you." Master modified. "So Gray versus Lucy and Gajeel versus Natsu. The two winners go against each other."

The game proceeded, despite Juvia's grumbling about Gray and Lucy going against each other, and it came down to Lucy and Natsu as the two winners.

They faced each other seriously, their hands at the ready. Lucy held his gaze and whispered, "Natsu, this is silly. Just let me go first."

The dragon slayer smiled devilishly. "Tryin' to sweet talk the opponent, Lucy?"

Lucy tilted her head and batted her eyelashes. "I dunno. Is it working?"

Natsu pretended to think about it for a moment, then quickly shook his head. "You wish. I don't back out from tests of strength."

Lucy quirked a brow. "Rock, Paper, Scissors is a test of strength?" She questioned.

" _Every_ challenge is a test of strength, Luce."

The blonde rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Let's get on with it."

The pair held each other's gaze while the game commenced. As it turned out, luck was apparently on Natsu's side that day. Or perhaps it was the opposite of luck considering his winning meant that he was up first to experience Ultear's mysterious magical torture…

He was already smirking when Lucy made her choice of the three available options, and he hadn't even glanced down to see which one she chose! But his peace sign was a sure indicator that her flattened, open palm had been defeated.

He reached forward and imitated his fingers cutting Lucy's paper with a grin. "I knew you'd pick paper, ya weirdo. Have you seen how many books you packed that are about to be in our house now?"

Lucy didn't even have time to flush over the way he said 'our' house because she was too busy worrying as Natsu turned away to walk towards Ultear.

"W-wha, that's not fair!" She whined, following closely behind him. "It's supposed to be a game of luck, not something you strategically think out!"

"Someone's a sore loser." He teased.

She huffed in response. There were many reasons that Lucy was nervous. She wanted to be the first one to open her second origin because she wanted to test how it helped with her use of the King's Key immediately. But, she admitted to herself, she also wanted to be first to volunteer in case something happened to go wrong. As much as she hated to have doubts about Ultear, especially considering the rest of the guild seemed to trust her despite everything, Lucy couldn't stop the worrying thoughts from seeping into her mind. She'd much rather risk her own safety than any of her guild mates…especially Natsu of all people.

Natsu stopped in front of Ultear with a huge smile on his face but was prevented from saying anything when Lucy grabbed his hand.

"Are you sure?" Her eyes pleaded with him in a last desperate attempt to change his mind. He opened his mouth to speak, but Lucy pushed on, not giving him the chance. "I-I mean, I _should_ be the one to go first. I'm the reason you're in this mess in the first place. Kind of. And-"

"Stop." Natsu said firmly and Lucy's mouth snapped closed. "You gotta stop thinkin' like that, Lucy." His eyes softened. "I'm not in this _mess_ because of you, or for any reason other than the fact that I want to be. No one is here because of you. This is our world too. We all have something in it that we want to protect." He squeezed her hand before releasing it. "And stop worryin'!" He repeated his request from before. "I see it all over your face. It's gonna be fine!" He grinned down at her with his best fanged smile.

Lucy was only able to return it halfheartedly. She felt a bit selfish after hearing Natsu's response…she hadn't thought of it that way until he said it. But now she didn't feel nearly as guilty anymore. It was true. Everyone had something worth fighting for in this world, just as much as she did.

She watched as Ultear lifted a glowing hand towards Natsu's abdomen and began the spell. When her hand left his body, strange red markings came to life in light on his skin. His arm raised up as he examined the illuminated markings curiously.

"Hey, this kinda tickles." He said with amusement.

However, after a few moments and by the widening of his eyes, Lucy could tell that the 'tickles' were quickly transforming into something else entirely.

When she saw his sharp intake of breath, her eyes darted over to Ultear to find that the woman was already staring directly at her.

Ultear seemed to be waiting for Lucy to say something, so the blonde took a deep breath and steeled herself for a possible negative outcome.

"Um, Ultear. You…you're sure that he'll be okay, right?" She questioned.

"Luce, I can hear you, ya know?" Natsu called, but his panting while he said it did nothing to make Lucy feel better.

"Shush. I'm asking her a question, not you." Lucy said, keeping a steady gaze with Ultear as she spoke.

The woman in question smiled, but it clearly didn't reach her eyes. "Either way, it's too late now, don't you think?"

Lucy's vision turned red and she took a step forward without realizing. " _What is that supposed to_ -"

"I'm kidding." Ultear said bluntly, holding her hands up in surrender.

Lucy's brown eyes narrowed to slits. Kidding? _That_ was kidding? What kind of joke was that supposed to be? She would have asked, too, if she hadn't been startled by someone placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. She jumped at the surprise contact and the hand swiftly pulled away.

She turned to find Jellal looking off to the side sheepishly. "Sorry. It wasn't my intention to startle you." His eyes drifted back to meet hers. "I just wanted to assure you that Natsu will be fine. Ultear has a…dry sense of humor, but I have seen her do this a couple of times before, and there has never been a single problem." He paused. "Soon he will be in more pain that he can cover up like he is right now, but it will pass within an hour and he will be just fine."

As if on cue, Natsu fell to his knees. Lucy was by his side in an instant.

"Natsu?" She sank to the ground beside him. He didn't seem to hear or even notice her presence at all. He just continued sweating profusely and breathing ragged, chopped breaths in and out.

When he let out a small grunt of pain, Lucy panicked. "Natsu!" She placed her hands on his shoulder, hoping to provide some means of comfort, only to recoil in discomfort instantly. " _Ow._ " His skin was burning, as if boiling hot water ran through his veins. Just like Jellal had warned, soon Natsu's grunts turned into shouts and Lucy could do nothing but watch.

Levy and Gray appeared beside Lucy and tried to pull her away from the thrashing, burning boy, but she shook free of their grasps, refusing to leave his side. She may not have been able to comfort his physically, but she sure as hell wasn't about to leave him alone.

So she watched helplessly as he thrashed on the ground and his shouts and moans increased in number.

"I'm sorry, Natsu. I'm so sorry." She repeated the phrase like a mantra, as if by some miracle it would make things better. But in the back of her mind she knew it wouldn't. She just had to wait for the pain to come and go, like Jellal said. Still, she couldn't seem to make herself stop apologizing over and over.

"Lushi…" Happy mumbled sadly, appearing beside her next. Lucy knew that the cat had to be just as terrified as she was, if not more so, watching his best friend go through pain like that. "He's going to be okay…" Happy's voice shook as he said it, and Lucy was sure that although he meant to say it to comfort her, it came out in a way that was supposed to convince himself as well.

Without a word, Lucy pulled Happy into her lap and hugged him tight. She knew that he wasn't going anywhere either, so they might as well suffer together.

After a few more agonizing moments of watching Natsu in misery, Lucy felt the presence of someone else joining the trio on the ground. Her eyes refused to leave Natsu's form, so she had no indication as to who this person was until they began to speak.

"I'm sorry about before." Ultear said earnestly. "It was insensitive of me…Jellal tells me that I'm not exactly the most social person."

Lucy made no attempt to respond or even look her way.

Ultear settled down beside the blonde, making herself comfortable. "I can tell by the way you've been looking at me that you want to trust me like your guild does. But you just don't know how to. And that's understandable, especially considering the circumstances right now." Ultear waved a hand towards Natsu, but realized that Lucy wasn't looking to catch the indication. "Watching your lover writhe in pain because of something I did to him _has_ to make it pretty difficult to view me as anything but the bad guy, right?"

Lucy fell forward in a coughing frenzy, squishing Happy a bit in the process. "U-um, no, I—uhh…" She wheezed, finally dragging her eyes to meet Ultear's. "Natsu is my partner. Not my lo…lov…" She grimaced, finding it difficult to repeat the word. And yet, was that a pang that she felt in her chest at having to deny it? "What you said…"

Ultear blinked before letting out a small laugh. "What makes you think that you can't be both?" A small smile spread across her lips. "Besides, your flustered reaction to that word is what got you to finally speak to me."

Lucy sputtered causing to black haired woman to laugh even more.

"Sorry, sorry." Ultear amended, catching her breath. "That's not why I came over here. Though seeing you like this _is_ a plus."

Lucy felt her ears burn, but she forced herself to hold on to her barely-regained composure.

"Anyways, what I was getting at before was…you've heard about me, correct? Or at least _some_ about me." Lucy didn't answer. "It's okay, I kind of figured it out the moment we met. I could see the shock and confusion in your eyes when I told you my name."

Lucy was caught. Ultear knew the truth, whether the blonde said anything or not. She just had to resist the urge to look back and see if Levy was paying any attention, for fear of throwing her friend under the bus.

"Right." Ultear confirmed just by taking in Lucy's guilty expression. "Well, that's why I came over here. To tell you the rest of the story. My story."

Lucy's eyes widened and the feeling of guilt increased. "N-no. You don't owe me an explanation, I-"

"I know that." Ultear interjected. "Trust me, I know that. But I want to give you one anyway." She smiled grimly. "Plus, I figured right now you could use a bit of a…distraction."

Lucy chewed on the inside of her cheek anxiously when she was once again reminded of the agony that Natsu was going through. Ultear must have taken her silence as an okay to continue and she began her tale.

"So…to start, I need to know where exactly you were left off before. Am I safe to assume that you've heard everything about Jellal, what with the way you kept glancing between the two of us and all?"

Lucy ducked her head. "Yes…sorry."

"Don't be." Ultear shrugged. "It's not _your_ fault I did the things I did."

Lucy scratched her cheek, unsure of what to say.

Ultear saved her the trouble by moving on. "Let's see…Do you know about the shared past between Gray and I?"

Lucy silently nodded once.

"So, have you heard about Galuna Island then?"

"The beginning of it." The blonde admitted, growing curious despite herself. "Only the fact that Jellal was searching for you and that he and Gray happened to find you at the same time."

Ultear smiled. "Oh, so you're just getting to the good part then. Well, allow me to finish." She sat up straight and cleared her throat before taking on a tone perfect for story-telling.

"It was on that rainy day, on the island of monsters, that my path to redemption painstakingly began."

OoOoOoO

Gray was running through the trees, brushing past branches and twigs with annoyance, only narrowly avoiding the roots jutting up from the ground here and there threatening to pull him to the Earthland floor.

"Tch. Where the hell are those guys?" He muttered aloud as he continued his chase.

Somehow, amidst the chaos accompanying the cursed island, he had become separated from Natsu and Erza. He'd tried yelling for them and searching, but all to no avail. So, for now he could only wander around randomly until he was reunited with them; only then could they solve the case surrounding the cursed villagers.

So onward he trekked, silently cursing the rain that he would someday come to love.

It was only after nearly face-planting on the ground and picking himself back up angrily that he noticed something bizarre. Even more bizarre than the moon supposedly turning the islanders into monsters of the night…

Gray froze in an awkward half-crouch and peered around the trunk of a tree through narrowed eyes. " _Jellal?_ " He breathed quietly under his breath.

Sure enough, the blue-haired mage in question suddenly whirled around with a wild look in his eye, confirming Gray's suspicion immediately.

 _The hell?_ What was Jellal doing on Galuna Island? After being damn near untraceable for so long, without so much as even a word to say he was okay…

Gray's eyes widened. Maybe this wasn't a coincidence…Maybe Jellal was looking for Erza! Why else would they all be on the island at the exact same time? Besides, the way that Jellal kept desperately twirling around in circles as if he were searching for someone had to mean something, right?

The ice mage had just decided to greet the formerly-missing wizard when said wizard suddenly took off through the brush with an ungodly speed.

"Dammit." Gray muttered before taking off after him.

He ran as hard and as fast as he could to catch up to the boy before him, leaping over fallen trees and roots in his path with new found vigor.

"Jellal!" He called after the figure. "Hey, man, wait up!"

Just as he was beginning to run out of breath, Jellal came to a slow stop.

Gray's sprint slowed to a jog until he eventually came right up behind the blue-haired mage. "Finally…" He gasped between sharp intakes of air. "Jeez, if you're that desperate to find Erza then at least we can search to..ge…ther…" Gray trailed off when his gaze finally followed Jellal's glare.

His heart stopped as time seemed to stand still. There was no way that he could possibly be seeing what he was seeing, right? It was _impossible._

Standing ten feet before them was a woman of unmistakable beauty, posed as if she were ready to strike for the kill. If it weren't for the long mane of smooth black hair trailing down her back, he would have mistaken her for Ur immediately. But, of course, Ur was dead…There was no way for her to come back. And besides, after staring in awe for a couple seconds longer, Gray began to notice the slight differences in their features. Though they would forever resemble one another—like mother, like daughter—they were also very clearly two different people.

Speaking of differences, Gray may have recognized her by appearance, but he _only_ recognized her by looks only. Everything else was different. A darkness surrounded her now, eradicating any and all of the light that used to be held in her eyes, as if she was just a husk, a simple shell of the girl she once was. Replaced on the inside was rage and violence, clear in the way she held herself as if she were ready to attack Jellal at any given moment. This part of her was so immensely different…but Gray called out to her nonetheless. It didn't matter what she had become, after all…She was still his family, right?

" _Ultear?_ " He gasped. He wanted to say more, or even move closer, but the words seemed to completely escape him. _How?_ How was this possible? How was she here? His sister was _dead_. Or so he and Lyon had thought…but did they ever actually find any real proof? It had been _years_. _Years_ since that tragic night, _years_ since he had last seen the girl that had grown into a young woman without him even knowing. But looking at her now, he knew without a doubt that it was her, despite how much older they both were. He just didn't know how…

Ultear grew rigid at the sound of him calling her name, which confirmed her identity instantaneously. Her piercing red eyes dragged themselves away from Jellal and finally landed on Gray's. It was like a tiny spark of who she once was came to life when she saw him.

Maybe Gray was just imagining things, but he could have sworn that the woman paled when she rose from her fighting stance in order to stand straight and look at Gray head on.

Jellal gaped, glancing back and forth between the pair. "How…do you two know one another?" He asked with a shaking voice, only barely holding back his urge to pin the woman to the ground.

Ultear made no sound, or even an effort to respond. Instead, she just kept staring silently at Gray.

"We grew up together." Gray finally answered, although he never once took his eyes off Ultear either. "Ur, her mother…it was her that took me in after my parents were killed. We…we were raised together until…I—God, Ultear, we thought you were _dead_." Gray said, trying to piece his random, broken thoughts together.

It was then that something seemed to click together. "Wait…how do you two know each other?" Gray stared at Jellal now, as if he would somehow know all the answers immediately by that one look. "Aren't you here looking for Erza, Jellal?"

"No." Jellal almost spat. "It is only the universe seeking to punish me more by allowing us both to inhabit the same island while I'm in pursuit of _her._ " His glare darted back to Ultear, gluing itself onto the woman that was _still_ staring at Gray.

" _She_ is the root of it all. My _freedom_ and my _suffering_. She's the woman that forced me to commit so many unspeakable acts." Jellal took a step toward the unsuspecting female. " _You_ are the one that controlled my mind all those times before."

Ultear only slightly drew her gaze away from Gray, giving Jellal nothing more than an uncaring sideways glance. " _Forced_ is a pretty strong word, I'd say." She rolled her eyes. "You were so emotionally unstable, your mind practically _begged_ me for assistance. Besides, shouldn't you be thanking me for freeing you and that redhead from being _slaves_ for the rest of your miserable lives? I believe you owed me for that."

Gray blanched. "So it's true, Ultear?" He asked bluntly. "All this time, you were the person responsible for Jellal's suffering?" And Erza's. And Natsu's. And who knew how many others there were, considering all the things that Jellal was forced to do under her influence. The list could go on and on, but rather than drag out the conversation, Gray awaited her response through narrowed eyes.

However, she wasn't given time to say anything before Jellal snapped. " _Thank_ you? You think I should _thank you_ for the things that you did? The council would have rescued us from the orphanage! They would have rescued us and I wouldn't have had to _slaughter_ all those people!"

Ultear didn't even flinch at the raise of his tone. "They were low lives that imprisoned children, big deal."

" _That doesn't mean they deserved to die_. Certainly, not by my hand!" Jellal ran his hands through his hair to control his fury. "They imprisoned children…ha!" He laughed harshly. "Then what of you? Did you not imprison me as well?"

Ultear's lips pulled back in a snarl. "Everything I've done...everything I'm _doing_. The likes of you could never understand!" Her eyes held a dangerous gleam in them as she lunged forward, once again ready to attack Jellal until Gray threw himself between the two.

"Try me." Gray said flatly.

"W-what?" Ultear's steps faltered until she came to an abrupt stop before the ice mage. Her fists lowered. "N-no, I-"

"I wasn't asking you to fight." Gray interjected harshly. "You said that no one could understand. So, try me. Go ahead."

Brief relief flashed through Ultear's features before they took on a wilder look, filled with desperation. "Right. Yes. You… _you_ could understand it all, Gray." Her eyes were crazed as she reached up to grasp his arms tightly within her hold. "This, everything in this life, it's all being done for the greater good!"

Gray stared down at the girl with various emotions; pity, sadness, anger, relief, confusion…No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find it in himself to reach out and comfort her. So instead he listened. The only thing he could allow himself to offer her right now was his attention.

"Start from the beginning." He said evenly.

Ultear didn't skip a beat. She nodded quickly and then words spilled out in a rush. "After the accident…I was taken in by a guild. They saved my life, and raised me from there, continuing to teach me magic. I looked for you, I did, but once they learned who I was searching for they told me you and Lyon were both dead, along with Mom…"

"What guild?" Gray asked. He figured he would have known if she had joined one of the wizarding guilds that Fairy Tail was in alliance with.

"Grimoire Heart." Ultear said proudly.

Gray drew in a sharp breath. "A dark guild, Ultear? What even—You're not an idiot, surely you knew they were teaching you _black magic?_ "

Her grip on his arms tightened. "I know it sounds bad, but people only fear black magic because they don't _understand_ it. They don't know-"

"What it's capable of?" Gray scoffed. "It's capable of creating _disasters_ , and _destruction_. And _demons._ The same demon that killed my parents. The same demon that killed _yours_."

Ultear tried to protest, but Gray continued heatedly.

"Come on, Ultear, what were you thinking? Don't you remember what we were taught? The way Ur raised us…God, what would she say if she was here now?"

Ultear backed away, releasing her grip on Gray's arms in an instant. " _Well she's not here, Gray! She's not here to say anything!"_

Gray felt as though his heart was painfully squeezed at those words. Did she think he didn't know that?

"She's not here…" Ultear continued desperately. "But she could be. That's the beauty of the magic I'm learning. It…the possibilities and uses for it are _endless_. The Arc of Time is a lost magic. It never got to reach its full potential before it was forbidden and forgotten. But _I_ am going to complete it." She waved her hand toward Jellal. "He, and everything else, they're all just collateral damage that can be fixed!"

Jellal stepped forward but Gray made sure to stay directly in between them both. "And how did I get so lucky to become part of this _collateral damage?_ "

Her eyes narrowed to slits. "If you're so keen on learning, then listen well. You are not special, not someone I chose, you are nothing more than a coincidence. I happened to be traveling past that godforsaken orphanage when I noticed that terrible aura omitting from it. Grimoire Heart has been experimenting with a new substance that happened to have mind altering capabilities. I was sent to test it out and report back with results. When I saw the orphanage, I thought…what better way to test it out than to help children escape from _slavery?_ " Ultear sneered the word. "It was much too easy to get inside your head, like I said, you practically begged for it. And so, experiment number one was a success and I got to return home a hero. Well, a hero to _some_ at least. Maybe I should have just left you there, you ungrateful little-"

"Ultear, what the hell?" Gray interjected. "For someone trying to get people to understand her, you're doing a pretty damn lousy job of it."

She recoiled like a pet being scolded before continuing with one last glare at Jellal. "So time passed, and I kept trying to complete the Arc of Time. I was slowly growing stronger, but I was constantly being sent out on jobs for Grimoire Heart. I didn't get to practice my magic nearly as much as I would have liked to. Then I remembered _Jellal_. And how easy it was to have him do my bidding with the help of that experimental product my guild was producing. So, I stole some of it and I called Jellal back to me. I figured he owed me a few favors for _saving his life,_ so I kept him under my control for a while. He did the jobs that were assigned to me so that I could continue my research in the meantime."

Somewhere along the lines of listening to her story, anger became the forefront emotion that Gray was only barely able to suppress from escaping. "What is wrong with you?" He asked in disbelief. "How does _getting stronger_ excuse _any_ of the things you did?"

Ultear flinched as though she had been hit. "No, Gray, you still don't understand what I'm saying…"

"You're right! I don't! I don't get how any of this is _okay_ by you. The Ultear I knew would have never-"

"None of this is okay, Gray!" She shouted in frustration. "Don't you see that? _Nothing_ about this world is okay! But it doesn't have to be like that. We can start over. We can get our old lives back. _That's_ why I'm doing all of this." She paused, taking the time to reach forward and grasp onto the front of Gray's shirt. Or well, she would have, if it hadn't magically disappeared, so she settled for his hands instead.

"Master Hades taught me all about the Arc of Time…when it's completed, once I master it, I can make _all_ of this go away. I can turn back time, Gray. I can take us back to when things were right. I can…we can be with Mom, with _Ur_ again."

Gray felt a shiver run down his spine. Ah, there it is…he now knew why someone like Ultear could have turned down such a dark path. Take a girl who has been completely broken and promise her false hope for an unreachable future, and she'll do nearly whatever it takes to achieve it…It hurt him to know that he was going to have to be the one to shatter her hope, however false it may be. But he'd be damned if he was going to let her continue living a lie.

Ultear was staring up at him, her eyes were pleading. "I know that I've done some bad things, and I've even made other people do bad things…but I'm _also_ going to be the one to fix all of those things. So it's okay. I can do whatever I have to in the meantime, to get me there. I just have to complete the Arc of Time." She squeezed his hands. "You can help me, Gray. With both of us working on it, maybe we can-"

"No." Gray said softly. He realized that his voice wasn't right. He needed to sound strong to guide Ultear through this. He needed to help her see the light, and he couldn't do that through a soft voice. "No, Ultear." He said firmly. "I can't help you."

He wanted to cry when he saw her hope shatter right before his eyes, but he refused. He had to be strong.

"W-what?"

"There is no magic that can take you back in time far enough to fix all of this. You're deluding yourself with dreams of the past, Ultear. You're _letting them_ manipulate you."

"No. No, Gray, that's not true." She tried pulling her hands away, but now it was him that was desperately clinging to her.

" _Yes_ , it is. Listen to me, Ultear. We were dealt a really shitty hand in the beginning…but believe me when I say that dwelling on it will change _nothing._ You were taken in by a dark guild. You were told that Lyon and I were dead, when we obviously aren't. You were a kid that had just lost everything, and then told an impossible way to get it all back." Ultear was shaking her head back and forth harshly, but Gray went on.

"So you did what they told you to do, no matter how horrible, because you believed that you could make it all disappear in the end. Ultear, you were so busy learning how to control and manipulate others that you didn't even realize it was happening to _you._ "

Finally, her hands wrenched themselves out of his grip with force. "NO!" She screamed while backing a couple of feet away. Her eyes were wide and scared, like a prey caught beneath the claws of a predator. "No…what do you know? _What do you know?_ I'm the one learning the Arc of Time! You don't know what you're talking about!"

Gray took a step. "Ultear…"

"No! Don't come any closer. Don't talk to me. I don't need you! I've been doing this on my own all this time, I can see it through that way. You were dead until today, Gray. Why couldn't you have just stayed that way?" She lashed out harshly.

Gray winced, but he knew she didn't mean it…surely not, anyway. She was still clinging to the crumbling possibility that had kept her motivated to live on…any other person would say things they didn't mean if they were in her shoes.

" _Jellal?_ "

Gray spun around at the sound of the new voice. For a few moments, he had completely forgotten where they were. He had completely forgotten Jellal's presence, Galuna Island, the job he was on...the only thing he had been aware of was the combination of two hearts breaking over one another.

So it come as a complete surprise to him when he found himself looking at a pale, wide-eyed Erza accompanied by Natsu. Jellal was also just as surprised by the newcomers, and found himself frozen and unable to speak as he stared into Erza's eyes. While the redhead's gaze was locked onto Jellal's, Natsu's was locked onto Gray's. The dragon slayer's eyes were narrowed, his brows and mouth pulled down in a slight frown. Gray knew this to mean that he was thinking deeply about something. Just how much of that conversation had Natsu heard?

Gray sighed, turning around to continue where he left off despite the bigger audience, but the chance never came. Ultear was nowhere to be found.

OoOoOoO

By the time Ultear had finished speaking, a decent sized crowd had formed around the two girls. First it had started with Gray and Jellal wandering over, filling in details every now and again. Then others trickled over one by one, fascinated by the woman's storytelling regardless of its dark nature.

Now everyone sat in various positions, slightly leaning forward in anticipation, eager to hear what happened next even though most listeners had already heard the story before. Lucy, on the other hand, was looking down at the ground. She was feeling a fresh wave of sadness course over her after hearing Ultear's tale. She was sad for Jellal, who had had terrible things happen to him under the impression that they would be erased in time. She was sad for Gray, who had believed his sister to be dead for years only to find her in an even worse state than death. And she was sad for Ultear, who had clung to hope that she would see her Mom again _for years_ , only to have it shattered by her adopted brother whom she'd assumed dead as well.

And then there was the guilt that Lucy was feeling. All of this, everything that had happened to her friends, had been done in an attempt to travel through time. To change the course of their history. And then here Lucy comes, dropped right in front of them, with a key that would allow her to do just that. But, of course, she wouldn't. She knew the dangers and complications of messing with the past, and she definitely wasn't about to rip a hole in the space time continuum anytime soon. But still, she felt guilty for attaining something so easily when her friends had suffered a great deal for it, only to be denied the opportunity in the end.

Ultear cleared her throat and Lucy finally raised her head. "So anyway, I left Galuna Island in a blind fury. Of course, I was in denial about everything that Gray said, who wouldn't be? But he'd planted the seed of doubt in my mind and that was all it took. I couldn't stop thinking about it, no matter how hard I tried. Eventually I decided to ask Master Hades upfront. I thought if I just heard Hades confirm it again, maybe I would be convinced that Gray was wrong and I could forget about him once more." Ultear laughed flatly at the thought. "As if I could ever do that." She said softly, her voice filled with fondness for the ice mage.

Gray flushed slightly, but if anyone saw, they didn't mention it.

"Obviously my talk with Hades didn't go so well. I was answered with harsh laughter and that was all I needed to realize how much of a fool I was. I was enraged at first. I destroyed nearly everything that our guild had been making, all that substance we'd been experimenting with, gone. I thought it would make me feel better to destroy something they'd been working towards for years, but it didn't. The truth came crashing down around me and I fled." Ultear glanced back at Jellal and Lucy knew this was when he'd be coming back into play soon.

"I was lost. All those terrible things I did while believing I could reverse them…they haunted me. Everything I'd been doing was for nothing. The mountain of sins I committed was high and there was no foreseeable way for me to atone for them." Despite the tragedy, Ultear had a slight smile on her face as she recalled her past. Maybe it was because she knew what came next.

"That was when I found her again." Jellal began. "Ironically enough, I knew exactly how Ultear felt."

"He did a real number on me mentally. You didn't pull any punches at all, did you?" She teased.

"It was for your own good." He shot back. "Would you have rather had me baby you?"

"Yuck." She stuck out her tongue to show her distaste at the thought. Then she turned her focus back to her listeners. "He told me what was done was done. My sins could never be erased and there was nothing I could do about it."

Lucy flinched. Ouch. Talk about kicking someone when they're down.

Ultear didn't say anything else, earning herself a playful elbow jab from Jellal. "Hey. Don't make me look like that much of a jerk. Tell them the rest."

"Sorry, sorry." She laughed. "I just like seeing you lose your composure every now and then. Seriously, you need to loosen up more often."

Jellal rolled his eyes and the mage of time continued. "He _also_ told me that even though I couldn't do anything to reverse my sins, I _could_ help prevent the world from being plagued by more of it. He offered me a new way of life. Together, little by little, we could purge some of the darkness from this world. The same darkness that had haunted me, the darkness that haunted him, and the darkness that would surely continue to haunt the innocent and the damned. He showed me a new path with a tiny shimmering light at the end of the tunnel, and we've been Crime Sorciere ever since."

There was brief silence at the end of her story before Meredy coughed loudly. "Ehem. You're forgetting about me!" She said with a pout.

Ultear ruffled her hair affectionately. "Never." She grinned. "Jellal and I had been traveling together for a while when we came across Meredy. We were tracking down families that had been left behind by the slave traders running the fake orphanage. They may have been terrible excuses for human beings, but that didn't mean they didn't have families and the such…For my own well-being, I wanted to make sure the families were doing somewhat alright…And that's when we found Meredy here."

The pink haired girl smiled brilliantly.

"Believe it or not," Ultear continued. "She wasn't exactly always the little angel she is now. She was raised in an abusive household, as the daughter of a slave trader that doesn't exactly come as a surprise. But when her father was killed, her mother sold Meredy into the trade, not wanting to deal with her anymore now that she was free of her husband. We found Meredy shackled, scraped, and bruised." Ultear's voice had darkened significantly, but she kept talking as though nothing had changed. "It took everything in me not to kill every one of those bastards, _again_. But thankfully Jellal was with me, and we were on the path to redemption, or whatever."

Jellal laughed and filled in where Ultear left off. "We turned the slave traders over to the council and fled before they could question us. Little did we know that Meredy had fled along with us."

Meredy took over. "To me, _Ultear_ had seemed like the angel. A dark, vengeful angel pulling me out of the hell I'd lived in my entire life. So I followed them around until it wasn't really following anymore. At some point, I became a part of Crime Sorciere myself, and Ultear became the mother I never really had…sort of."

"Ahh, I love youuu!" Ultear squealed, throwing her arms around Meredy with glee. Lucy giggled at the sight. She never would have thought that she'd witness that sort of display of affection from Ultear, but she could now see that the woman had a weak spot when it came to Meredy.

The cute interaction didn't last long before Gajeel cut in. "So what about the Grimwire heat, or whatever it's called?" He asked. "Didja ever go back?"

Levy shushed him for interrupting Meredy and Ultear's moment. "You've already heard this all before, remember?"

"Can it, woman, I forgot. I don't have a super brain like yours, ya know." Gajeel huffed before crossing his arms in defiance.

Levy only patted him on the arm with fake pity in return, which seemed to add to his aggravation.

Ultear, who was still hanging loosely onto Meredy, glanced over at the iron dragon slayer. "Yeah, I probably would have gone back." She admitted, to which a lot of people gasped in response. "Oh please, not to join them again." She said exasperatedly. "I would have gone back for answers. Jellal told me all about the dragons and how they were related to a lot of you in Fairy Tail, so I would have tried to force out some sort of information about them. Plus, we wanted to learn more about this 'Z' character that was giving Master Hades all of his orders."

"When we tried searching for them we found that they had been completely annihilated." Jellal said, saving Ultear from having to do so. "We can only assume that the person they were working for, which we now think is Zeref, got angry when he found out that Ultear had destroyed all of their experimentation they'd been doing for him. Grimoire Heart was left with nothing to deliver and they more than likely paid the price for it."

"And so the mountain of sins grows taller." Ultear mumbled in a singsong voice, as if she were in some sort of daydream.

Lucy spoke up, hoping to prevent her from traveling down any more dark roads in her memory. "What was it, anyway?" She asked. "The substance you were making?"

Ultear tilted her head in thought. "I believe they called it moon drop. Or maybe it was moon drip? I'm not sure, it's been so long now. But that's what had brought me to Galuna Island on the day of that fateful encounter. I was sent to gather more ingredients for our experiments." She shrugged her shoulders, shaking off the feelings of regret. "Eh, good riddance. That stuff was dangerous, clearly, and shouldn't have been left in the wrong hands. I'm glad that I destroyed all of it."

Lucy chewed on her bottom lip in thought, absorbing every last piece of information that Ultear had just unloaded on her. "I just wonder…Mavis said that Zeref was having his followers gather materials and whatnot for something that she can't figure out. I hope the two don't have anything in common."

Jellal and Ultear's eyes widened simultaneously. They exchanged a dark look before returning their gazes to Lucy. "We'll find out." Ultear promised.

"If that is the case…we _will_ put a stop to it once more." Jellal affirmed.

Lucy nodded. "We'll do it together." She added before smiling ever so slightly. "Thank you for sharing your past with me, Ultear. For _wanting_ to tell me. Thank you." The blonde felt a pang of guilt for ever doubting the woman in the first place.

Ultear, however, held no resentment whatsoever when she grinned in response. "Don't mention it. It's always fun to talk about my dark and twisty past with new people."

Lucy knew that was obviously sarcasm, but her tone held no malice behind it. The blonde's eyes edged their way over to Natsu once more. Now that her distraction was over, she could only focus on his writhing form and the glowing red marks spread across his body.

Happy rubbed his head against her chest when he saw where her attention was now directed. Lucy sent a half-smile down at the cat and scratched behind his ears for a second before looking into Ultear's eyes once more.

"I think it's time for me to go now, don't you?" She asked seriously, nodding her head toward Natsu in indication of opening her second origin.

"Aye. Me too." Happy spoke swiftly.

"And me." Levy piped in with an _almost_ inaudible gulp.

"Well, if shrimp is up for it, then I am too." Gajeel added gruffly.

"I was one of the first ones to volunteer, so obviously, I'm ready too." Gray smirked.

Juvia jumped to her feet enthusiastically. "Juvia is ready to go all the way with Gray-sama too!"

Gray choked before pulling her back down to the ground with bright red cheeks. " _What?!_ Seriously, where does your mind go?" He asked while shaking his head, but there was no way for him to hide his furious blush.

Jellal and Ultear exchanged a look and a smile.

"Alright, alright, I get it." Ultear said with her hands raised in order to prevent another outbreak of shouting over who would go first. She stood to her feet and everyone quickly followed suit. "You can all go next. Together."

OoOoOoO

Lucy knew for a fact that she would never in her life have another experience like the one she just went through, nor would she ever want to. She wanted to erase the whole thing from her memory entirely, but she also knew that she wasn't likely to forget anytime soon…The way every cell in her body ignited like it was on fire, burning her from the inside out…it would surely to haunt her for some time to come.

She had to say, though, the ending wasn't _all_ that bad. When she finally came to her senses and could differentiate the false sensation of burning alive from reality, she realized that she was once more lying in Fairy Tail's infirmary. Sometime during the process, when she had been so succumbed in agony, someone must have moved her and her guildmates inside, while they were too disoriented to even realize.

Everyone was lying in their own cot, spaced evenly throughout the small, sterile room, except for her; she was the only one that was sharing one big cot with someone else. Well, it appeared that way anyway, but in reality, someone had just pushed their cot right up against hers to make a larger space to lay. And who else could to culprit be besides Natsu?

Surely enough, she found him sleeping soundly beside her, with Happy tucked under his arms snoring softly. Lucy's heart instantly eased at the sight of his peaceful face, void of all signs of his earlier pain. Lucy let out a sigh of relief as she reached over to caress his cheek and Natsu's eyes immediately snapped open.

She panicked over being caught about to touch him while he slept, her face a few shades brighter than normal. She made to pull her hand away, but he grabbed it before she had the chance.

"'Bout time you woke up." He murmured sleepily before letting out a loud yawn.

Lucy grinned at the sight. _Cute_ , she thought happily when he quickly returned her smile. Neither of them made any move to sit up. Instead, they stayed right where they were laying, facing one another with a hand intertwined.

"Well," Lucy started, instantly finding her throat to be sore and scratchy. Probably from all of the screaming that she didn't remember… "That, um, sure was something, huh?"

Natsu laughed. "Yeah, it was." His eyes bored into hers intensely. "I barely felt it at all, could ya tell?"

Lucy let out a snort. "Ha, ha. Good one." She said sarcastically.

His gaze softened then and he glanced down at her hand, tracing lightly over her fresh guild mark with his free fingers. "I'm glad it's over. Coming to before you guys, and seein' you like that…that sucked." He admitted with a frown.

Lucy grimaced, remembering her own experience seeing him suffering as well. "Ya think?" She whispered with a matching frown.

Natsu nodded. "Yeah. Guess it probably wasn't so fun for you either. Sorry about that." He squeezed her hand. "But enough depressing talk. It's over! How do you feel now?" He asked in a voice shaking with excitement.

Lucy hadn't actually paid much attention to how she felt until he said that. She'd been avoiding focusing on herself for fear of feeling some of the lingering effects of Ultear's magic. She took a quick, silent assessment and found the result to be quite surprising.

Aside from being mildly tired, she felt perfectly fine. Better than fine, really. Her nerves nearly seemed to be singing after their traumatic faux burning not too long before. Whether the singing sensation was from relief or from the extra magic that was now coursing through her veins, she had no idea.

But she did know that there was no way she wanted to stay in that bed for even a second longer.

Lucy beamed. "Wow." She breathed as she pulled herself up into a sitting position.

Natsu flashed his winning grin, following her lead by jumping upright as well. "I know, right?" He fluidly leapt off the cot, his feet smacking against the cold, hard ground with an audible slap, causing the other residents of the infirmary to grumble. Happy didn't even make a sound, choosing to just roll over rather than make any attempt to wake up.

Natsu ignored the protests, and reached over to grab Lucy's hands. "Feels pretty good, doesn't it?" He asked as he kindly helped Lucy hop to the ground.

She giggled at his enthusiasm and gave a small curtsy once her feet were firmly planted beside him. "Why thank you, _sir_."

Natsu laughed at her silly accent, but bowed before her in return. "Anytime, _madam_."

They straightened upright and exchanged a look, then immediately burst into laughter over their little act. For some reason the giggles just wouldn't stop coming, like wave after wave of happiness was trying to force its way out of the pair through the rich, ringing laughter.

Natsu was only able to stop due to a pillow smashing into the side of his face, sending him flying to the ground.

"Shut it, Salamander!" Gajeel shouted with disdain. "Some of us are normal and tryin' to sleep after that crazy woman's torture!"

Natsu jumped to his feet and launched the pillow back at Gajeel with inhuman force, then scooped Lucy up in his arms in the next instant, and ran out of the room before Gajeel could so much as even sputter a response.

The fire mage didn't stop running until they were out the front doors of the guild, where they then collapsed on the ground in _another_ fit of cackles.

"Did-Did you s-see his face?" Natsu gasped between breaths of laughter.

Lucy wiped tears from her eyes, rolling over in the grass to get a better look at Natsu. "H-He's going to kill you, you know." She managed to force out.

Natsu scoffed. "Yeah, right! As if he could take me!"

The pair giggled together a little while longer, and even when their giggles came to an end they stayed laying on the ground for a while longer after that, finally able to catch their breath. In that moment, they felt so relaxed and happy that you wouldn't even guess they had just went through such a traumatic experience not too long prior. Lucy wasn't sure what was causing their giddy euphoria, but she could only guess that it had something to do with the increase of magic power swirling within their bodies. She recalled how happy she was when she had used magic for the first time. This moment felt very similar to that.

Natsu took a deep breath and then rolled over onto his stomach to face Lucy. "Well," he started. "Wha'd'ya say we test out this second origin thing?"

Lucy's answering grin stretched from ear to ear. "Absolutely!"

This was what she had looking forward to ever since first learning about Ultear's magic. She hoped that her increase in power meant that she may now be able to use the King's Key without wanting to pass out immediately after. How could she ever dream of helping her guild if she couldn't even do the one thing she was specialized in without fainting?

She jumped to her feet, eager to get started with their new training right away. They decided to head to the park with the cherry blossom trees when the guild doors opened, revealing Mira standing in its wake.

"Hey, Lucy!" She smiled warmly. "I'm glad to see you two up and about."

"Thanks, Mira." Natsu and Lucy said in unison, sharing a grin with one another right after.

"So, I don't know what you're about to do, but we kind of have this huge pile of luggage in the middle of the guildhall."

Lucy paled. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Mira!" She shouted as she realized what the girl was referring to. "I completely forgot and just left it all there, didn't I?"

Mira giggled and waved a hand in the air. "Oh, don't worry about it, it's okay. There was a lot going on, I figured it probably wasn't the top thing on your mind." She winked at Lucy knowingly, glancing between the dense duo before continuing. "But seeing as it looks like a lot of your personal belongings, I figured you might want to be reminded."

Lucy's eyes swiveled back to Natsu apologetically. "Sorry, Natsu, looks like we'll have to postpone."

However, she was surprised to find that Natsu didn't look even the slightest bit let down. His grin had grown wider by the news.

"S'okay! Besides, this sounds way more fun." He promised while grabbing her hand and whisking her back inside the guildhall. "Let's go get you moved in, Luce!"

Her erratic, quickened heartbeat was the only response her body could muster at that statement.

* * *

 **Annndddd fin!**

 **I know I've said this before, but I'll continue to say it again. I absolutely adore writing the character interactions! They're so funnn. I wish I was a member of Fairy Tail~**

 **Anyways, what did you guys think? Let me hear your thoughts and theories! Let's talk!:D**

 **SulliMike23 : Hello again~! I hope you're well:) In your review you said that you hoped to see what I have planned for everyone there. I'm not sure if there refers to the Heartfilia manor, or to opening the second origin. But if it was about the Manor, we finally find out next chapter! Yay! And the second origin is over and done, no more torture for the groupp. Well, for now anyway...**

 **FairyTailLover04 : Hi, hi, hi! Thank you so much for reviewing again and for showing your interest and concern! I really appreciate it~ Ahh, so sorry this update took a little longer than usual, but now that we're about to get into the main conflict, I'm very excited and plan on writing a lot more! My chapters have been a lot longer than normal as well because when I start writing, I just can't stop! Haha, I'm excited to share more with youuu.**

 **LovelyLovelyLove : Ahhh, I'm so glad you noticed and pointed that out! I believe that in the manga he does have feelings for her, even if they aren't canon yet, but it took him a longggg time to get to that point of realizing that Lucy was special to him in a different way than everyone else. And I really want to bring that feeling into this story. So thank you so much!:D Hahaha, I love writing Gray and Juvia, they're adorable in their own way and so funny! Thank you sooo much! I really appreciate your kind words~**

 **FireShifter : Helloooo again~! I'm glad the previous chapter was out sooner than you expected, but this one kind of ended up coming out late! So sorry T^T I agree, poor Natsu! Haha, in my mind I think that he just didn't learn much about relationships seeing as he was raised by Igneel, and then taken in by Fairy Tail, which doesn't exactly have the best relationship role models to look up to. So they're kinda of learning as they go:) I love Mavis too, she's such a little cutie and fun to write! Hahaha, and speaking of fun to write, ohhh Juvia. Haha, bless her poor little soul! So jealous, but so funny at the same time. Ehh, you're definitely right about releasing the second origin. There wasn't a lot to go off of from the anime or manga, so I had to guess a lot of how it would feel, but I know for a fact it wouldn't be fun! Thank you as always for reviewing! Your in-depth reviews make me so happy! I love hearing the points of each chapter that you really pay attention to and enjoy:) It makes me inspired to write more!**

 **arcadea333 : Yaaaassssssssssssssss~! Lucy is so sweet and obvious about her fondness for Fairy Tail. She's so adorable! Speaking of adorable, YES I LOVED LEVY FANGIRLING! Haha she's just a little ball of sunshine and happiness, I adore her! AHHHH NATSU REALIZING HIS FEELINGS IS THE BEST THING EVERRR! Sooonnnn, soo sooooonnnn, we get some NaLu intimacy, yayyyy. Oh my goodness, you asked about whether or not Zervis will be in this...oohhhhh just you wait for what I have planned for them! It breaks my heart just thinking about it! T^T OH dearrr, now I'm sad...but they're so tragically cute, I'm excited for the tears!  
**

 **Rosemary24 : HI THERE! Thanks for reading, first of all! Welcome to the madnessssss! Secondly, thank you so much for reviewing! It makes me so happy when someone shows interest in the story by asking me questions! Now, to get to your actual question~ Is Lucy in a dream? Hmmm, very interesting theory!;) Guess we'll just have to wait to find outttt~! Thank you again for reviewing~ ^.^  
**

 **The Age of Awesomenes s: Hello again~! You're completely fine about the short review, seriously, just knowing that you take the time to leave any sort of feedback, even if it was just a single word, makes me so incredibly happy because it means that you liked it enough to say something! That's so awesome and the feeling I get from seeing it is incredible! So thank youuu so much!  
**

 **Life Death rabidlovingfangirl : Hahaha, Levy is so fun and cute to write, I'm glad you got a kick out of her reaction! Haha, I love that you said amazeballs. You're amazeballs!:D Hahaha, I always felt like Gray and Juvia would ship NaLu so hard! Juvia mainly because it meant Lucy wasn't going after Gray:p hahaha. Also, thank you so much for reviewing! You've literally been a reader since the very beginning and I genuinely appreciate you sticking with me and my story:D Like I said, you're amazeballs! ^-^  
**

 **Darlene : Ohhhh, Darleneeeee, how I look forward to your messages soooo! You're seriously so awesome and great to talk to! I'm pretty shy on tumblr about messaging and sending asks and stuff. I just feel like people would be like 'why is this girl messaging me'? Which I know isn't the case, because most people on tumblr seem really nice and awesome! I don't know why it's different talking to people on here...maybe it's because they initially come to me first, so I don't feel as nervous about it. But I need to come out of my bubble, online and irl! T^T Maybe it's just because I'm such a dork, haha. And I'm the same, I really suck at keeping conversations going DX And I never know if I'm conveying the right messages or tones. I don't want people to misinterpret what I'm saying, because that's easy to do through type, haha. I know, it's really nice to have someone to talk to that talks to you because they want to rather than because they have to. Also, I agree, we have a lot in common when it comes to our thoughts and theories about Fairy Tail and it's fun to be able to express them and discuss them! And speaking of talking about Fairy Tail, thank you soooo much for all of the kind things you say about my story! I get so excited every time I see your name (actually when it says 'guest' since you don't have an account name yet) pop up on this page! I haven't really talked talked to many people about Fairy Tail like this because I'm still relatively new to the fandom. I only came across Fairy Tail a year ago (WOW time sure has flown by), so it makes me really happy to have someone to gush over it with:P *glomps you and doesn't let go* AHhh, same goes to you, if you ever just have anything at all you want to talk about, feel free to message me on tumblr as well! It was good hearing from you~~ Until next time! *Waves enthusiastically*  
**

 **LeigonClaimed : Hellloooo, thank you so much for reading~!:D Welcome to this rollercoaster of emotions, hope you're ready for a fun(possibly?) ride!:D And of course, thank you so much for posting a review! That seriously means so much. I sincerely appreciate every word that you readers have to say!  
**

 **Gues t: Oh wow, thank you so much for saying that! I really appreciate it, and I'm so glad that you like the storyline! I always feel happy when guests post reviews because you don't even have an FF account and yet somehow you read my story and you still care about giving feedback. That's awesome! Thank you so much~ Welcome to the madness!  
**

 **SleepinBeautyK : First, WOW! Thank you so much~! I'm so happy that you found this story and that you enjoyed it! And thank you thank you thank you for posting several reviews as you read along. It was fun being able to see where you were at and what you were thinking as you read through it. That was really awesome and I even got to relive some of the earlier chapters! Anyways, you're really awesome for that and I'm so glad to have you a part of this crazy journey! THANK YOUUUUU~!  
**

 **ShadowRiptide : Hi, hi, hi! Thank you so much for reading! This story really loves you too~! It has a mind of it's own:p haha. Welcome to Wonderland and I hope you continue to enjoy what you read and are always excited for what comes next!:D Thank youuuuuuuuu~!  
**

 **AHHHH Thank you guys so much! You seriously make me the happiest little pirate ever!**

 **Let me know what you think!**

 **Have a great day/night!**

 **XOXO**

 **-Mac**


	33. Coated in Red

Natsu soon found that his excitement was meant to be short lived. It's not that he wasn't happy anymore about Lucy moving in. No, on the contrary, he was still beyond ecstatic about that part. So much so that he had to keep reminding himself every other minute that this was actually happening, this wasn't a dream, _Lucy_ was moving in with _him_. His heart did a little somersault every time those words came to mind, despite his best effort to keep his cool.

So that wasn't at all the reason he now stood staring at Lucy as if she were some sort of space alien moving freely about his house… _Oh wait, she sort of_ is _one_ …Normally Natsu would have snickered aloud at his own silent joke if it weren't for the _real_ problem behind it. Truth be told it was actually the surprise of it all that was quickly shooing his excitement out the door until the only expression evident on Natsu's face was jaw-dropped, wide-eyed shock. It appeared that he hadn't fully anticipated what all came along _with_ Lucy moving in.

But boy, was he beginning to get the idea now.

As opposed to Natsu, who was a tsunami of destruction on a normal day, Lucy was a whirlwind of tidiness and order. The yin to his yang if you will…

Once they had carted all of Lucy's belongings—including the borrowed furniture she'd been loaned from Fairy Hills—to the grassy lawn dotted with wildflowers outside Natsu's front door, Lucy declared that she wasn't moving a single thing _inside_ until they had 'cleared up some space'. At the time Natsu had merely shrugged and followed the blonde into her new home and his familiar, messy abode. After all, it made sense, right? What harm could _really_ be done from 'clearing up some space'?

Turns out _a lot_ could be done. Even Natsu's trained eyes had trouble keeping up with her as she set about her mission to turn his house into a 'habitable environment'. Pfft, as if it wasn't already habitable before. Her feet were as swift as a stallions as they carried her from one place to another, picking up, organizing, dusting, scrubbing, greasing, washing, and on and on they went…

Eventually, Happy had come looking for them only to fly straight into Natsu's back, which was currently frozen in the doorway seeing as that was the only place safely tucked out of Lucy's path of chaotic vengeful cleaning. Before Happy could ask Natsu what was the matter, he took one look at the building's interior and stopped moving completely. The sudden stillness of Happy's once flapping wings sent him soaring straight to the ground, where he remained with a look of horror similar in wear to Natsu's.

When Lucy eventually deemed the space 'cleared up enough', she was able to make some use of the two boys. In the beginning when Natsu heard this he was relieved to finally have something to be doing with himself rather than watch helplessly from the sidelines while his home became nearly unrecognizable. However, after the first few times of moving Lucy's new bookshelf from one side of the room to the other, just because Lucy couldn't decide which was more aesthetically pleasing to the eye, he knew that relief wasn't going to be coming any time soon.

And so back and forth he trudged, moving the heavier things to and fro while Lucy filled drawers and shelves with their respective contents. Eventually, as the sun began to lower into the cover of the trees, Natsu and Happy were once again out of things to move, and therefore useless to Lucy. As such, they could do little more than collapse on their small little sofa (which had also been rearranged numerous times) and finally catch their breath.

It was there that they took a moment to really observe their new surroundings while Lucy finished tucking away a few of her last belongings. Their faces soon morphed into yet another wide-eyed gape as it all sank in. There wasn't a single scrap of trash, or discarded food to be found. Which would have been fine, had it not also meant that Lucy scoured the house from top to bottom finding all of Happy's hidden fish and tossing them out with the rest of the garbage. In her defense, they did make the house smell rather, well…fishy. But that didn't make Happy any the more thrilled about it.

Not only that, but Lucy had also stacked all of Natsu's _seemingly_ lazily discarded clothes into one big pile by the door to be laundered. Little did she know that there had been a method to his madness! The pile by the furnace had been the 'do not wear ever again, burn it with fire' pile, while the pile by his hammock was the 'only been worn twice, probably safe to wear two more times before washing' pile. Somewhere in the mix was the 'absolutely wash before next use' pile, but now Natsu had no idea what was what anymore considering they were all mounded together! But was he about to tell Lucy that and potentially gross her out and make her reconsider living with him? Absolutely not…Well, maybe later, because come on, just imagine her reaction! But right now? No.

He was thankful that she knew about his memorabilia collection, and that Lucy had carefully picked up every item that held a special memory for Natsu and gently organized them all in such a way that it looked artsy, rather than appearing to be a pile of junk and papers as it'd looked before. That part he supposed was nice.

All in all, his house looked better than he could ever recall it being. Despite the fact that it was a bit more cramped with the new bookshelf, dresser, and desk, it didn't really _feel_ that way since Lucy had 'cleared it out'. It sure smelled a heck of a lot better, Natsu noted with a small grin as he inhaled a long whiff of the new air circulating within the walls. A faint aroma of a campfire and cherry blossoms aroused his senses, tingling his nose, and he realized instantly that his home had come to smell like a mixture of himself and _her_. He could get used to that. In fact, he _could_ get used to all of it. It would just take some time getting used to, and he'd have to relearn where everything in his house was. But was it bad? No. Just different. And as he said before, he could get used to different.

Happy, on the other hand, might need a little more encouragement than the dragon slayer. "Natsu, I don't recognize it. Our house…our house is gone."

Natsu sighed and reached over to scratch his best pal right behind his ears. "It's not gone, buddy. It's just a bit…uh, modified."

"She's a monster, Natsu. A fish-stealing, house-vanishing, demon of mass cleanliness." Happy whined, pulling his paws down the sides of his face in over-exaggerated horror.

"Happy, shh!" Natsu whispered with a finger held in front of his mouth to silence the cat.

"Natsuuu, the fish, all of the fish…they're all gone!"

"They were _old_ , Happy! Some were even rotting."

"They were gaining flavor!" Happy cried, falling flat on his back with one paw pressed to his face in a mock-faint. It was there that he began to groan, a long, drawn out, and continuously-growing-louder-by-the-second sound.

"Happy, _Happy_ , shhh. Look, I'll replace all the fish okay? We'll get more; _bigger_ ones even! Just shhh!" Natsu begged in a hushed tone.

The male was in the process of covering Happy with a pillow when Lucy raised to her feet and wiped the back of her hand across her forehead. She took one final look at her completely stuffed and organized bookshelf before turning to face the two boys proudly. "Okay!" She smiled. "All done! What do you think? Everything's moved in and we can still see the floor!"

Natsu froze, the pillow hovering in the air inches above Happy's distraught face. "Um." The dragon slayer found that he momentarily couldn't form any words together in a sentence that made logical sense. Could you blame him, due to his shock and nervousness about whether or not Lucy overheard Happy's prior complaints? He didn't want to give her any reason to consider moving out. What if she heard Happy complaining and then felt bad? What if she moved out because of that? Or what if she didn't feel welcome anymore? These questions and more bombarded his mind, eradicating any possibility of sanely answering Lucy's inquisition.

"Um?" Lucy pushed, edging closer to the couch. After a few steps, however, her eyes flickered down to Natsu's hands, which were still frozen directly above Happy with a pillow clutched tightly in their grasp.

Lucy's head tilted to the side. "Happy? When did you get here?"

Natsu and Happy exchanged a look around the pillow. "Uhh, I've been helping you move things in for the past hour and a half, Lushi…"

"What?! Really?" Lucy's eyes widened. "Wow, I must have been so focused, I didn't even know you were here!" She shook her head like a dog shaking droplets of water free from its fur. "Well, I'm glad that you are! What do you think? Hopefully you can offer something better than 'um'." She said, ending with a teasing smirk pointed toward Natsu.

Happy glanced at the dragon slayer once more. "I want fifty fish, you got that?" He murmured just barely under his breath, loud enough only for Natsu's delicate hearing to pick up.

The pink-haired male nodded fervently in response and that was all it took for Happy's face to transform into a huge smile as his wings carried him back into the air and over to Lucy. "It looks…different. Good job, Lucy! Looks like all your _monstrously_ hard work paid off."

Natsu gaped at his feline friend, betrayal written all over his face. Happy played him…he played him just like the fool he was. The sneaky little cat probably didn't even care about all those old, rotten fish. In fact, he probably forgot where he hid all of them in the first place, that's why there were so many different hiding spots! The exceed just swindled his way into getting fifty fresh fish, and Natsu and Happy both knew it.

Before Natsu could do anything about his best friend's treachery, Lucy smiled, beaming at Happy as though he had just given her the world's best compliment…though Natsu didn't really think 'different' was intended to be a compliment, but who was he to spoil her moment?

"See?" Lucy began, turning her brilliant smile to face Natsu. "That's much better than 'um'."

Natsu, who was momentarily floored by her joyful grin, only just barely managed to pull himself together enough in order to lift a brow and say, "Oh, really? You try comin' up with somethin' to say after that workout you just put me through." He collapsed backwards onto the sofa, fanning himself as though he had just finished running a marathon. "Sheesh, Luce. And I thought my training was hard!"

Lucy giggled and the sound rang through Natsu's head, creating a symphony he never wanted to forget. His arm that he'd been fanning himself with lowered until it covered his now flushed face.

He heard her footsteps leading further away from him and took that moment to talk himself into remaining levelheaded. So what if he was super, insanely, hyper aware of every movement and sound that she made? That didn't mean he needed to lose his cool every time she laughed or sent a smile his way! Or is that exactly what it meant?

Gahhh, why was this so confusing? Or maybe it wasn't at all and Natsu was just _making_ it confusing. Either way, he wished Igneel was there to coach him through whatever _this_ was.

Natsu's heart squeezed painfully at his sudden thought. He drew in a sharp intake of breath and, for a moment, he felt as though he was drowning. He'd been so happy recently, so full of life and laughter, it didn't seem right. Not when Igneel was out there somewhere. Not when he was without a father, and so many of his friends were without their parents. For one painstakingly dark, silent moment he felt _guilty_ for his newfound happiness.

And then he was pulled back into the light. So effortlessly, so easily. Just by the sound of her voice, which surprised him by appearing directly above him. _Like an angel._

"Here. A peace offering." Four simple words, filled with her smile so vividly that he could picture it clearly.

Natsu removed his arm slowly, peeking up out of one eye to find Lucy looking down at him with that very same smile he just imagined. The smile of his angel. No…alien. She was definitely more of an alien than an angel. Natsu's lips quirked up into a small smirk. That smile from his alien was all he needed to spark the fire back up within him and slowly burn away all of the darkness that threatened to consume his mind.

Lucy shook something beside his head, plastic crinkling with each movement. "Well?" She laughed. "Aren't you gonna ask what it is?" Her tone held amusement and a bit of teasing, but he didn't mind being teased by her.

And to be quite honest, in that moment he had absolutely no desire to know what she was clutching in her hand. And he was certain he made that abundantly clear when his next movement quite literally swept her off her feet. One second he was lying flat on the sofa, and the next, she was lifted into the air, his arms wrapped tightly around her waist in an embrace.

Lucy gasped, shocked by the sudden display, but recovered quickly as another set of giggles rang out from her lungs. She wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed him just as hard as he was desperately clinging to her. Just for a moment he wanted to show her his gratitude for being his light, even if she didn't realize what his hug meant. She didn't need to know the dark places that she helped pull him out of. Not yet anyway. But she did need to know what she meant to him, even if he was still slowly piecing that together himself.

So he tried showing her.

Lucy's giggles were giddy up until the point when he finally set her back down on her own two feet, and even then she couldn't quite keep the ecstatic expression off her face. "W-what was that for?" She finally asked while catching her breath.

Natsu grinned, his usual playfulness back full force. "Wouldn't you like to know?" He teased. Then his head tilted to the side like a curious puppy. "So?" He held out his hands. "What's this about a peace offering?"

It wasn't Lucy that answered him, but rather an arrangement of mischievous snickers that sent a chill up Natsu's spine. He looked over to find Happy floating directly beside them. His paws were barely covering his mouth as the knowing cackles softly continued.

"Happy." Natsu warned, but it was too late.

"Natsu's in loooooove." The cat sang, flying into the air right as Natsu lunged for him.

" _Happy._ " Natsu's voice came out in a whine that Lucy couldn't help but find endearing.

She also couldn't help but cling onto the fact that Natsu did little to deny it. In fact, the dragon slayer was unusually red in the face as he chased the flying exceed around the room. But Happy joked like that all the time…it didn't necessarily mean anything, right?

"You're getting dangerously close to losin' those fifty fish, pal!" Natsu threatened.

Happy stopped flying immediately, pointing an accusatory paw at the fire mage. "You wouldn't dare!"

"Fifty fish? What are you two talking about?" Lucy asked curiously, thoroughly amused by their antics.

Happy turned to Lucy, keeping his paw aimed towards Natsu, whom had grown pale. "Natsu promised me fifty fish if I didn't tell y-"

" _OUT_ , now! Don't you have to find Charle, or somethin'?" Natsu interrupted rather unceremoniously, but he didn't really care. Anything to get his friend to shut up.

Happy's eyes widened, a figurative light suddenly switching on in the back of his mind. "Oh! I forgot what I even came here to tell you guys." His tail swished happily as he recalled the long forgotten news he was supposed to deliver. "Both Masters made the decision to to move out Team Rescue first thing tomorrow morning. So Levy thought it'd be fun to have a sleepover in the guild tonight! That way we're all there and ready to go. But also…"

"Because she thought it'd be nice to have everyone together and have fun tonight, just in case." Lucy finished softly with a smile. "I think that's a great idea, Happy."

"Yosh! Any excuse to throw a party, right?" Natsu grinned with excitement. "Though I don't know what ya mean by 'just in case'." His eyes bored into Lucy's with an unspoken promise. "We're all gonna be fine. In and out. Easy peasy. And if it _does_ come down to a fight in the end, well," Natsu pounded a blazing fist into his other open palm, his irises filled with the reflection of his burning flames. "Fairy Tail will _win_."

Lucy smiled, but this time it was real. There was just something that was infectious about Natsu's confidence.

"Aye, sir!" Happy cheered along, swirling around in the air. "Now I gotta go find Charle and Wendy and tell them about the sleepover!"

Lucy was feeling giddy again by the time Happy had flown out the door, disappearing into the dusk. A sleepover with all of her friends? That sounded wonderful! Sure, she'd spent many nights staying up into the early hours of the morning talking and laughing with Natsu and Happy, but this was something new, something she'd never gotten to experience growing up. She was excited, despite her growing unease about the following sunrise.

Natsu observed as she grinned and began to fumble through her drawers for clothing to pack up and take to the guild.

"I have to pick some pajamas. Ahh, I have choices of pajamas now!" Her laugh that came out was lightly tinted with surprise, as though she had forgotten that her moving in was something real. "I have a lot of stuff here now." Her wide eyes found Natsu, who was already staring at her. "I'm _here._ " She breathed. "I…I live here." Her statement ended up sounding more like an uncertain question that she needed answered.

His eyes burned into hers as he fulfilled that need, his own small smile playing on his lips. "Yeah. You live here."

His confirmation filled her with warmth. "Wow. This is crazy." She admitted. "C-crazy good!" She corrected, in fear of him taking her comment the wrong way and assuming she was nervous or regretting her decision. "It's good. Just…wow." She laughed breathlessly, raising to her feet, her pj dilemma forgotten for the time being.

She plucked up the item she'd been holding beside Natsu's head earlier, his alleged 'peace offering', and plopped down onto the sofa, waving the red and black plastic bag tauntingly.

"Come on, you gotta be at least a little curious now?"

Now that he was out of his funk from before, and not embarrassed by Happy's teasing, he indeed was curious as to what the bags contents contained. He plopped himself down beside her, his thigh pressed right against hers despite the extra room he had to scoot over.

"You said you like spicy," She began as she handed him the bag. "So I got these while we were at the store back on Earth."

He tore open the top and was immediately bombarded with the deliciously sharp, spicy aroma. Inside were what appeared to be skinny, bumpy chips, coated with a bright red powder that was giving off that enticing smell.

"They're called flamin' hot cheetos." Lucy said with apprehension. "I don't know if they'll be too hot though. I can't really handle them."

He glanced up at her. "So you're sayin' you can't handle the heat, Lucy?" Natsu wriggled his eyebrows jokingly, to which she playfully pushed his shoulder in response.

"Shut up and try some, weirdo."

"That's my line, weirdo." He shot back, but grabbed a handful of the cheetos nonetheless.

His first reaction when he chomped down on the crunchy snacks was full of wide eyes and silence. Lucy worried that maybe the snack was too hot until he looked at her as though she was a gift from God.

"These…are delicious!" He exclaimed around another mouthful.

Lucy giggled, once again amused by his barbaric way of eating. "Glad you like them. I thought you might, so we have a few more bags whenever you run out of those."

He was too busy stuffing his mouth to respond. But he did, of course, hold the already nearly half empty bag out towards her in offering before he accidentally downed the entire thing. "Wan'shome?" He asked in between crunches.

Lucy laughed. "Sure, just a couple." She stuck her hand in and grabbed two cheetos, fully aware of how hot they were and not wishing to set her mouth aflame today. Or any other day for that matter…

Irregardless of the small number, her wish was not granted.

A couple moments later, Lucy was fanning her mouth as if the wind would somehow extinguish the invisible flame. Natsu snickered at her reaction, crumpling the empty bag in his hands. He made a mental note to throw it in the trash can rather than on the floor like he would have done prior to his new roommate.

When he plopped back onto the couch beside her, she was still fanning away, her eyes squeezed tightly shut.

"See? Told ya. Some people just can't take it." Natsu's grin was contagious, despite the fact that Lucy was being made fun of.

" _Your_ heat I can handle. Spicy food heat? Not so much." She admitted once she was finally able to relieve her hand of its fanning duties.

"Pfft. No one can handle my heat." He said while staring inquisitively at his red powder coated fingers.

Lucy watched as he licked each finger clean, his eyes lighting up as though he'd just discovered an extra treat to enjoy. She tried to suppress her growing chuckles, but couldn't quite keep them down. "You look like an animal cleaning yourself." She giggled, gazing down at her own cheetos coated fingertips. She was about to get up to grab a paper towel when Natsu grasped a hold of her wrist, preventing her from leaving their spot on the sofa.

"An animal, huh?" He grinned wickedly at her, his eyes burning with something very similar to a predator's hunger while gazing at its prey. She knew what he was about to do well before he pulled her hand to his mouth, well before his sharp teeth nipped at her skin, well before his lips closed around each fingertip, and definitely well before his tongue lapped up the remaining coat of red, leaving behind no trace of it ever being there in the first place. She knew what he was planning to do well before any of that, but she did nothing to stop it. In fact, she could do nothing more than merely gulp and watch in wide-eyed fascination. Something seemed to uncoil deep within her belly from the act, something primitive, and entirely, intriguingly _new._

It was over in a second, and he freed her hand, but the hunger remained in his eyes. He felt his lips pull up into a smirk as he took in her speechless expression and cheeks that were as red as the snack he just devoured. "I beg to differ." He spoke and his voice came out a little deeper than usual. That was weird, he thought, amused by his own tone. He cleared his throat and grinned playfully, releasing Lucy from whatever trance she had been locked in. "I think the only person who becomes an animal when it comes to cleaning is _you_." He said pointedly, a brow raised to recall her previous change of character.

Lucy laughed. Well, tried to anyway. It came out choppy and awkward, and it eventually died off with her coughing to cover it up. "Aha, ahh, r-really? Me?" Her hand raised to start fanning herself again, because, wow, did it raise fifty degrees in the room, or what? But thankfully before she could start doing something so embarrassing, she pulled her hand back down, clasping her fingers together in her lap. _Calm down, Heartfilia. Keep yourself together,_ she inwardly scolded.

Crap…what was she supposed to be talking about again?

"Yes, you." Natsu laughed openly. "You were on a warpath. I've never seen anything like it."

Oh. Right. The cleaning thing. Lucy chuckled, and thankfully this time it sounded a little more human. "I guess you're right." She admitted. "Mom and I moved around a lot. We were always traveling, so it was just something that came with it. It was really messy the first few moves, and sometimes we'd take so long to unpack boxes that by the time we got everything out, we were putting them back in to move again." Lucy's eyes became somewhat distant as her mind traveled elsewhere. "But eventually we got a system going. We would get everything done quickly and efficiently, without much of a break, so we'd have it all done and out of the way within the first day of moving. Then we wouldn't have to worry about boxes, or where things were supposed to go until we moved again. We could just relax and enjoy our new temporary home." Lucy smiled wistfully as her recollection of past experiences came to an end.

She then turned to him with a much brighter, genuine smile. "I guess I went a little overboard, huh?"

Natsu tapped a finger on his chin in thought. "Hmm. Sounds familiar. Wonder where I've heard that before." He grinned.

"Yeah, coming from the King of Going Overboard." She accused with a beam.

"Well if I'm the king, then you've gotta be the queen. Seriously, Luce, it looks like you're gonna have to marry me and stay here forever. Because I ain't ever helpin' _you_ move anywhere ever again." Natsu joked, laughing for a moment before choking and then sputtering like a fool. Did he seriously just say that?! He opened his mouth to correct himself, hoping he didn't accidentally say something that would weird her out, but stopped mid sentence when he saw the look in her eye.

Her chocolate brown orbs swirled with a glimmering sparkle and a question of...possibility. Her lips were tugged up into a sly, teasing smile, sure. But her eyes, which his were glued to, held something much more than a mere joking manner. They held desire, and happiness, and…hope?

"Is that a proposal I hear, Mr. Dragneel?" Her voice was light, airy, taunting. But her _eyes._ "Because if that's the case, then we'd have to move eventually. Where would the kids sleep?" She raised a brow, messing with him and admittedly pushing him a little bit. Would he budge? Or would that kind of comment make him cringe away?

He decided to play along, despite the fact that his heart had tripled in speed and every nerve ending throughout his body was screaming with the same question of possibility that her gaze held. What was she questioning? _Their_ possibility? "Kid _s_?" He asked, emphasizing the last letter and drawing out the plural sound.

"Yup." She answered, popping her lips with the 'p'. "Kid _s_."

"H-how many are we talkin' here?" He asked, cursing himself for his shaky voice. An irrational number appeared in his mind and came out before he could even attempt to swallow it down. "Like thirty three of them, or…?"

"What? No!" Lucy laughed then, bending forward to hold her stomach. She wiped her eyes when the laughter subsided, and peered back up at Natsu, enjoying this wonderfully dangerous game they were playing. "More like two, tops. And Happy, of course."

The inside of Natsu's stomach burned, sending a warm sensation flowing throughout his body, and singeing every cell in the process. "Oh." He said simply. "Hmm. Then we'll just add expansions to this house." He grinned crookedly, daring her to continue. "Two or three rooms shouldn't be too hard to add. Like I said, _we_ ain't movin' again." Lucy nearly melted at the way he made sure to put an emphasis on 'we', but Natsu's next words kept her from such a fate by causing her to laugh. "Because it clearly brings out a demon in you that I don't wanna have to see twice in one lifetime. So yeah. You're stuck here."

Lucy gave him a playful poke in between her snickers. "Someone a little scared of Demon Lucy?" She joked in a baby-like voice.

Natsu scoffed, his heart finally recovering from its mile-a-minute racing. "Uh, you didn't see yourself. You'd be scared too."

"Psh, if anything, _you're_ the demon. Because of, you know, the fire and all that jazz." They shared another smile before Lucy stood with one last chuckle, stretching her hands high above her head. Natsu had to look away when he caught himself staring at the midriff skin that was revealed by her shirt slightly raising along with her extended arms.

"Well, if that's your plan then I expect a better proposal in the future." It was her turn to grin crookedly down at the fire mage. She offered him a hand and pulled him to his shaky feet. "But for now, we have a sleepover to get ready for!"

Excitement bounced off the blonde in waves as she set to work deciding which pajamas to wear to the sleepover, and Natsu let it wash over him, infecting him with the same happy eagerness. _Later_ , he thought. Later he could wonder more about what that hopeful sparkle in her eyes truly meant.

OoOoOoO

The guildhall was filled with boisterous noise and liveliness, as per usual. Only this time, there were sleeping bags dotted across the floor and most of the inhabitants were dressed in pajamas, aside from Gray, who had of course managed to discard his long ago. The dining tables had all been pushed to the sides of the hall, clearing up the space in the middle of the hall to make room for sleeping arrangements, along with everyone's bags for the morning's mission and the various other scattered sleepover materials.

Lucy and Levy were deep in discussion about Ultear's second origin experience when Makarov cleared his throat loudly and all attention was turned to the spot where he sat atop the bar. Mavis sat beside him, with her legs dangling off the bar top, a serene smile displayed across her face.

"As I'm sure you're all aware, our rescue team will be setting out first thing tomorrow morning for the Heartfilia Manor." Makarov began once he was sure he had everyone's attention. "There are a couple of things the First and I would like to go over before tonight's festivities get a little too…out of hand." Makarov directed a very pointed look to Cana, who merely shrugged and grinned all too knowingly.

Mavis took over. "We've discussed most of the important issues. Mainly, we just need to finalize the details of the infiltration." The First's eyes gleamed with the spark of a strategist at work. Her mystifying green orbs connected with Lucy's. "Now, I have an ide-"

"Excuse me, First." Lucy interjected quickly, her eyes wide as though she wasn't fully aware as to why she was even interrupting. "I'm sorry for cutting you off," She said quickly, yet sincerely. "But I've been going over this a lot in my head, and I think I've come up with an idea as well. In fact, it's really the only plan I can actually see working…" Lucy's voice trailed off when she caught Natsu's curious gaze. She gulped nervously before taking a deep breath and steeling herself for the reactions soon to come.

Mavis grinned sweetly. "Well, let's hear it then!" She encouraged.

Lucy nodded.

"This oughta be good." Gray said with a crooked smile, offering his own form of encouragement. "Lucy's pretty smart, if it's her and the Fairy Tactician making the plans then we have this in the bag."

Lucy smiled weakly at her friend before speaking. "So, uh, my plan is, well…I think I should just walk in through the front door..."

"Wait, _what?_ " Gray paled, eyes going round as he fixed Lucy with a 'have you lost your mind' look.

Contrary to Gray, Natsu's whole face lit up after hearing Lucy speak. "Alright!" He cheered. "I like it! Nice and simple, we storm the front doors, take back our comrades, and beat the crap out of anyone who doesn't lik-"

"Alone." Lucy continued softly, twisting her hands together nervously all the while keeping her eyes straight ahead, focused on Mavis.

"Wait, _what?_ " Natsu exclaimed, turning to gape at Lucy with that same look Gray had.

Lucy had prepared herself for numerous possible reactions that Natsu could have. She'd prepared herself for arguments, and for yelling, and for disapproval. She'd even gone over her reasoning in her head at least a dozen times to counter him with. What she hadn't prepared for was the haunting _fear_ that instantly flooded his dark, olive eyes.

It choked her, made her lose her sense of reasoning. But she knew only her words could make that look in his eyes go away. Only her confidence, and her reassurance. So she swallowed down her feelings for the moment and relied purely on the facts.

"I'm going to go in alone." She repeated firmly. "Surely everyone in that manor is aware of my father's search for me. I'll be welcomed inside immediately, without any real cause for suspicion. I'll say that I'm returning home and-"

"Whelp, I was wrong, maybe we should just leave the plans to the First." Gray interrupted, but not without sending Lucy a somewhat apologetic glance. "No offense, Lucy, but that's just too dangerous. Especially if Tartaros is really in there. Sending you, a celestial mage, in alone could be…well, ya know."

"Actually," Mavis began, eyeing Lucy with a small smile. "I was going to suggest the exact same idea."

" _What?_ " Natsu and Gray bellowed in unison, rotating around to face Mavis in a blur.

"Well, she has a point. I think you boys should hear her out." Mavis beamed proudly at the blonde.

Lucy warmed at the praise and with the knowledge that the First believed in her. A part of her wanted to feel discouraged by Natsu and Gray not backing her idea up, but she had anticipated it. She knew that they only cared for her, therefore of course the idea of sending her alone into the wolf's den wasn't very pleasing to them. But it was their only way, the _safest_ way. She took the brief moment of silence to reiterate the fact that this was their most reliable option.

"Like I said, they're expecting me. All day, everyday, they're waiting for someone to find me and bring me in. I don't think anyone inside would harm me, even if Tartaros is involved with my father."

"So you want us to risk your life over something that you don't _think_ will happen?" Natsu quipped blandly.

Lucy's eyes bored into his, neither one backing down. He wanted to play like that? Well, then she could spit fire right back. "Was it not _you_ and Loke who convinced me that my father wouldn't allow Tartaros to harm my mother, _just earlier today?_ " She stated calmly. When Natsu saw that he was caught and couldn't say anything to counteract that, she continued. "So what would make _me_ any different than my mom?"

The two locked eyes for three seconds more and then Lucy's orbs traveled to Makarov. "If I go in, our group will be at an advantage. Warren will have us all connected and able to communicate the entire time. I can inform everyone telepathically everything that I see, including how many workers there are, whether or not Tartaros is there, and exact details of where I'm taken so that on the off chance something _does_ go wrong, they'll know exactly where to find me. I can be the distraction while the rest of Team Rescue sneaks in."

Makarov was silent for a mere moment. "Hmm," He pondered while stroking his beard. "It does indeed sound like a good plan. Are you certain that you're okay with this?" He asked with nothing but concern for Lucy's feelings.

"Of course. Erza and my mom are in there, not to mention the three stolen zodiac spirits. Quite frankly, sir, I'd be okay doing just about anything to get them back." Lucy assured with every ounce of confidence she could muster. "This plan _will_ work."

"Well, then that's that." Makarov declared, smiling fondly at the celestial mage. "Does anyone have any other questions?"

Lucy didn't have a chance to hear if anyone had any other questions. The next thing she knew, Natsu had grabbed her wrist into desperate clutches and was hauling her through the guild doors at such a speed that her head swam.

He didn't stop outside the guild doors, he didn't even stop once they were through the front gate. He ran and ran, until finally they reached the park, the same place they had fallen asleep under the sun together all that time ago.

Once upon a time Lucy would have collapsed from exhaustion after putting on such a long burst of speed like the one Natsu just forced her to endure. Now, however, it looked like her training was paying off. Rather than falling to the ground, her hands merely fell to her knees while her breath caught up to her and she eyed Natsu as if he were a bomb that could possibly go off any second.

"N-Natsu, I…" Lucy began strenuously. "I'm sorry I…should have talked to you fir-"

" _Ya think?_ " He whirled instantaneously, moving so fast his body became a blur. His eyes blazed as they glared into hers with so much emotion that Lucy couldn't possibly hope to track it all. "I need you to tell me, right here, right now, how you _know for sure_ that this is safe." He commanded.

Lucy rose to a straightened position, no longer panting. Her brows pulled down as she considered her next words carefully.

" _Now_ , Lucy." His words were harsh, rushed, but his underlying tone was…scared. He began to pace back and forth, running angry fingers through his wild hair. "Because you didn't see those people that night of the lighthouse. The people that could cause an entire building to explode without so much as touching it. The people that gave off such _deadly, evil_ energy. The people that were there to kill _you_ because they sensed celestial magic. _You_ didn't see them because you were passed out in my arms. _I did_ , Lucy, I heard them, I felt them, I sensed them. So how can you possibly know what you're doing, walkin' in there _alone_. How can you-"

"I don't, Natsu." Lucy said softly. She walked forward and placed a gentle hand on his arm to cease his pacing. "I don't know what I'm doing, and I don't know if it will go the way I want it to."

Natsu groaned. " _Then how can you-_ "

"But it's our best shot at saving our people, Natsu." She placed her hands on either of his face, forcing him to stare down at her. "Are you telling me that you wouldn't go in there alone if it meant it was your best chance to get Erza back?"

Green eyes narrowed. "Of course I would." He growled. "But _Lucy_ -"

"No, not buts." She tsked. "None of this, 'but I'm experienced' crap, because you know what? So am I. I've been training with you for over a month now. And if your next argument is, 'well _training_ is different than _actual_ experience', then fine. I have Loke with me, who you know is plenty experienced considering you're _in the same guild_." She tapped the golden key on her necklace as if to prove a point.

That seemed to aggravate him even more. His hands came up to cover her own. "Just let _me_ come with you. I can say that…that I wanted the reward money! I can pretend like I'm turning you in."

Lucy halfway smiled. "I considered that. But you're not exactly the most inconspicuous guy around, you know." She made an attempt at joking, but Natsu's frown was clearly not amused. Tough crowd…She released her hold on his face. His eyes were glued to hers and didn't seem to be going anywhere so instead she held onto his hands. "If this is an enemy base we're treading into, then I think showing up with someone else would automatically raise their alert, even if you were to say you were just there for the reward. We need them to be the least suspicious as possible. Besides…who's to say they would even let you in? If it were my evil lair, I would want as few people as I could wandering around inside. They'd probably bring the money to you at the front door and send you on your way."

Natsu's shoulders slumped forward. Damn her and her intellect…Lucy's brain could run laps around Natsu's and he was well aware of that…which was _very_ irritating in this moment.

He sighed petulantly. "We'll be connected through Warren's magic the entire time?"

Lucy's eyes widened. "Yes." She breathed. "The whole time."

"And you'll tell us if anyone so much as even looks at you funny?"

"Yes." She grinned. "No funny looks."

"No one even breaths without you reporting it back to us, got it?"

"No breathing." Lucy giggled. "Got it."

"I'm serious, Lucy." Natsu tried to sound authoritative and angry, but who was he kidding anymore. Those giggles could melt entire icebergs, not to mention the small chip on his shoulder. The corner of his mouth quirked up infinitesimally. "You're going to be the death of me…" He mumbled. As if to display the truth behind those words, he fell forward, lowering until his forehead was resting against her shoulder.

Lucy's smile was soft as she wrapped one arm around his shoulders while the other hand tangled into his hair, soothingly massaging his scalp like she'd done before on the train ride. "Well that wouldn't be good." She said seriously. "Then who would continue to train me?"

Natsu involuntarily snorted. "Gee, thanks." Though he spoke sarcastically, Lucy knew he was joking along.

He sighed into her shoulder before taking a deep breath and lifting his head. "I guess we should get back. Levy seemed pretty excited about this sleepover. And trust me, you do not want to see her mad."

Lucy laughed openly now, happy to see Natsu back to normal, and also thankful that their conversation had gone a lot easier than she'd expected.

Which just goes to show how much trust Natsu truly had in her. He had faith in her, and faith in the fact that she would be okay.

"Why would she get mad?" Lucy asked finally, relief and happiness evident on her face.

Natsu glanced back down at the blonde. Was it just her imagination, or did his eyes seem to wander for a moment? "Because," He began once his gaze reconnected with hers. "If we stay out here any longer, I'll probably just keep you to myself for the rest of the night."

Lucy's heart skipped into overdrive. Oh dear…those eyes. And his voice. It was deadly serious, not even a hint of a joking fashion to be found. And who was going to be the death of who exactly?

It turned out that Lucy was going to be the death of _herself_ , if, of course, she could die from embarrassment because of her next statement.

"So keep me then." She said softly, without at all considering what her words might imply.

Oh crap. Her eyes widened and her face flushed furiously. If she thought her heart was beating quickly before, then this was a whole different level of 'fast'. Natsu was surprised by her words as well, if his own wide eyes and light blush were any indication.

"Ahaha, I-I mean, uhh…haa." She stumbled through her word vomit while wanting to kick herself in the head. "Shit, um. W-well, you see-"

Natsu laughed, cutting off her incessant rambling. "Are you _flirting_ with me, Lucy?" He asked jokingly, but that smile he wore was one of pure, unadulterated joy.

She wheezed, completely enamored by that smile that she forgot to be embarrassed for a moment despite herself. "A-are _you?_ " She shot back.

His smile transformed into a smirk. "Maybe." He leaned down, bringing his face dangerously close to hers and staring at her through lowered eyelids. "And?" He pushed. "What if I was?"

Natsu was terribly close. Or maybe wonderfully close was the better way to put it? Lucy's entire view was filled with him. His eyes, his nose, his lips, _that smile_. That crooked 'kill me now' smile that Lucy found irresistible. _Irresistible?_ Was that how she found Natsu?

Well, parts of him anyway…No, who was she kidding? All of him. God, she was in deep and she could no longer deny that. But he was her best friend and who knew what could happen to their friendship if he were to find out!

 _But who's to say he doesn't feel the same?_ Lucy's inner voice plagued her with that precarious question and her heart dared to wonder. He did just basically admit to flirting with her, right? So what if…

"Natsuuu, Lushiii!" A voice called out in the distance, growing closer by the second, and suddenly the little bubble of potential surrounding them was popped.

Natsu let out a huff of annoyance. Annoyance? Was he disappointed? Lucy's face reddened even more as she stared at him, watching as he straightened up and turned toward their approaching feline companion. Yes, she confirmed. There was definitely disappointment written all over his face. She knew him well enough by now to read his expressions fairly easily.

She was still staring at him when Happy reached them, hovering in the air beside the two.

"Finally, it took me forever to find you guys!" Happy announced.

Natsu grinned sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. "Sorry, Happy. We just needed to talk for a bit. We were about to head back."

"Well, you better hurry. Levy was starting to get that look, you know." Happy warned through a shiver. "Lucy, why's your face look like that?" The cat questioned curiously when he turned to address her.

Lucy wrenched her eyes away from Natsu right as he glanced back down at her. Damn, did he catch her staring? And what did Happy even say to her? "I, uh…what?" She stuttered, eyes round as saucers and face red as a tomato.

Natsu cackled and grabbed one of Lucy's hands, pulling her back in the direction towards the guild, laughing all the while. "Don't worry about it, Happy. She's a weirdo."

"Aye." Happy agreed wholeheartedly, flying after them beneath a blanket of stars.

The trio returned to the guild, where they laughed, ate, and partied the night away. Natsu only barely earned Levy's forgiveness for stealing Lucy away from the sleepover, which disappointed Gajeel who was hoping to 'see the shrimp lose her cool'. Makarov and Mavis went over the rest of the details for the following morning with Natsu and Lucy, and Natsu was only slightly annoyed throughout the whole thing. Cana tried her hardest to get the crew drunk again, but most members were still a little scarred from the last time, Natsu and Lucy especially. Gray and Natsu only fought a handful of times, which was a record breaking small amount compared to normal ever since Erza's disappearance.

All in all, it was a wonderful first sleepover for Lucy. She didn't feel the need to add on that it could potentially be her last, because Fairy Tail _would_ absolutely overcome whatever obstacles lie in wait the following day. She was confident of that. She also didn't feel the need to point out that maybe it was such a wonderful night because of all the stolen glances that were shared between a certain pair on individuals…that definitely didn't have anything to do with it at all.

* * *

 **Hey guys! Thanks so much as always for reading.**

 **I don't have much to say right now other than thank you. One of my dearest best friends passed away in a car accident recently and I'm still a bit shell-shocked from it all...I'm surprised I'm even updating to be quite honest. I didn't think I would for a long time, but I found that writing has turned out to be a wonderful escape during this hard time.**

 **So, again, thank you, and I will more than likely continue to write daily if it helps like it did today.**

 **Also, my sincerest apologies to everyone that reviewed last chapter. I normally write responses to each review, and I promise I definitely plan to respond to everyone in time, right now I just don't know what to say.**

 **Thanks so much _FairyTailLover04_ , _SulliMike23, The Age of Awesomeness, peacerockgirl123, SleepinBeautyK, FireShifter, Darlene, and Guest_. I truly appreciate all of your kind words and I will respond to each of you personally as soon as I can.**

 **Have a good night guys. Tell your friends and family you love them, constantly, every moment you get. You truly never know when it will be the last time you get to say it. And always, _always_ , _always_ be safe.**

 **'Til next time.**

 **-Mac**


	34. Hardwired

**Ahhh, I'm back you guys! So sorry for the long break! I took a little R &R and accidentally neglected this story because of it. I tried writing, but eventually all my stuff just turned too dark so I scratched it and waited until I was feeling more like myself again before trying once more! **

**I have so much to say to you guys, it's unreal!**

 **First of all, because it's the quickest, THIS STORY IS A YEAR OLD! Holy wow, whaaat?! That's so crazy! I can't believe it's already been a year...I seriously remember the day I started writing this and it definitely does not feel like an entire YEAR has passed! WOW! Enjoy life as it comes, cause man it goes by quick once you start getting older T^T**

 **Secondly, I can't even begin to show you guys how truly appreciative I am of you all! Your love and support through a really hard and dark time in my life was so unbelievably valued. The messages/reviews will always be held dear to me and I thank every single one of you that was there for me. You guys ROCK and are by far the best readers in the ENTIRE galaxy ;)**

 **Thirdly, OMG WE MADE IT TO 200 REVIEWS! HOLY COW! You guys are incredible! T^T Thank you so much for all of the awesome words of support and for sticking with this story despite the semi-long breaks between chapters! Speaking of reviews, I have lots of them to reply to! I'm so sorry I didn't reply to you all last chapter, so be sure to look at the bottom because I definitely will have something this time! Like I said, I feel much more like myself (i.e. I FEEL ALIVEEE) and I can't wait to get back to talking with you all! ^-^**

 **SOoOoOo, let's get to it then, shall we?:)**

* * *

The sun rose much too quickly the next day, chasing away the stars and the moon, along with the last remaining fragment of Lucy's composure. To say that she was a bundle of nerves haphazardly hardwired together was to say the very least. For Lucy, today marked a special beginning __and__ an ending in her life.

Today Lucy would go on her first mission as a wizard of Fairy Tail, and it was a rescue mission at that—she'd been purposely avoiding thinking about the fact that it was __her mother and Erza's__ rescue mission, but now that the sun had made an appearance Lucy found it impossible to continue doing so. Irregardless, this first mission was the official beginning of her new role in this world. The role of someone who protects others. The role of someone who fights with a burning passion for what they believe in. The role of someone who helps those in need. The role of a Fairy Tail mage.

This beginning, however, also signified her ending. When Lucy takes that first step forward, toward her new adventures, she will be leaving behind a life of innocence. A life ignorant to the wonders of the world—no, to the wonders of the __universe__. Ignorant to the magic, to the blissful sensations it brought, and to the light it brought out in the people of Earthland. It was a life also ignorant to the darkness which falls when such power lies in the wrong hands. Today Lucy will leave behind a childhood of innocence and security, and as such will face many great dangers in the future…but will those dangers be outweighed by the number of spectacular experiences to be had?

These new beginnings and endings were all dependent on Lucy taking that very first step. And despite her nerves and incessant over-thinking, she never once hesitated to put the first foot forward. And it didn't just stop with one foot…No, it continued on, raising the number of footsteps well into the thousands as she paced back and forth in front of the guild entrance while she waited for the others to awaken from their slumbers.

How she managed to sneak out without waking Natsu, she'd never know…but somehow she managed it and now she was stuck wondering if she was worse for wear because of it. With the sleepover lasting well into the late hours of the night before, Lucy hardly managed to get any sleep at all. She supposed she should probably be wanting to get as much rest as possible before the mission, but her mind just simply wouldn't allow her the peace.

What if her mother or Erza were severely injured? What if Fairy Tail didn't make it on time before something happened to them? Should Lucy leave on her own to rescue them __right now?__

 _ _No, no__. Lucy knew that was an idiotic idea. She shook her head furiously, chasing away those reckless thoughts. And although she succeeding in ridding herself of those ones, __new__ anxious thoughts soon emerged.

What if Lucy held everyone back? It was her first mission after all…she was weaker than everyone on so many degrees! What if someone got hurt because they were too busy trying to protect Lucy? An image of Natsu flashed in Lucy's mind and she swallowed nervously.

No…there should be no reason that Natsu would have to protect Lucy. The plan was perfect. They'd went over it time and time again the night before. Lucy was a decoy. She wouldn't even be __near__ Natsu for the most part. Therefore there were slim chances of something happening to him because of her. And besides, if something did happen to her while she was in there, she'd rather it not happen in front of Natsu. It'd be fine if she was hurt, but if Natsu got hurt…

 _ _NO.__ Lucy stopped in her tracks and ran her hands through her hair. __She had to stop__ thinking of herself as disposable. It was something that she promised Natsu she would work on. Thoughts like 'it's okay as long as I'm the only one that gets hurt' were more common than she cared to admit now that she was actually trying to change her outlook on things. It's not as though she wanted to be harmed. On the contrary, the idea of it actually quite terrified her! But when it came to thinking about the people she cared about being injured…well, to her it seemed like a no-brainer that she'd rather herself take their spot.

That is until Natsu opened her eyes on how that sort of thinking could harm others even more than a physical injury might. If one of her friends was harmed, or worse, she shuddered to think of how it would make her feel. But she'd never considered the situation in reverse—how __they__ would feel if __she__ was harmed. How Natsu would feel…

Great. One more reason to worry about something in the plan going wrong.

Lucy's hands twisted into her hair. __Come on, think of something else, please.__ Any _ _thing else.__

Her mind seemed in the mood to torture her today, because of course the next hot topic to mull over was none other than her dragon slayer best friend. 'Friend' being the term she was most unsure about. She'd be an idiot to continue on trying to convince herself that Natsu __only__ treated her as a friend. And she was sure as hell edging further and further away from that safe boundary as well. But where did that leave them? Was it something she was supposed to bring up? Or were they just…not talking about it?

But oh, did Lucy __want__ to talk about it. She wanted to gush about him actually. She needed Levy to wake up so she could ask for advice! There were so many things she wanted to say to Natsu, but when she tried to rearrange the words together in her head, it all came out as garbled nonsense. What if she made a fool out of herself to him?

Or worse…what if he didn't even feel the same about her at all and she was just disillusioning herself?

 _ _Nope, nope, nope. Next topic!__

Lucy groaned, her mind already moving on to find something new to stress about.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Lucy let out a startled screech and jumped a good two feet into the air.

Natsu's chuckles drowned out the hilarious echo of Lucy's scream. She blanched, hand clutched to her chest, and looked over to see Natsu's top half leaning out of the open guild window nearest her. His arms were lazily crossed on the window sill, head resting atop them as he observed her with amusement.

"How long have you been there?" She demanded (or perhaps 'squeaked' would be a better description).

Natsu rolled his eyes as he straightened up and launched himself easily through the open window into the crisp morning air. "Did you really think you could sneak out here without wakin' me up?" He flashed her a crooked grin as he strolled closer. "I'm surprised the whole guild wasn't woken up by those elephant feet stompin' around."

Lucy's eyes narrowed.

His grin turned cheeky as his hands lifted in surrender. "Kidding." He assured before tilting his head and silently observing her once more.

Lucy felt her cheeks warm under the intensity of his gaze. She crossed her arms in a mock pout in order to avert her attention away from those orbs. "You didn't answer my question."

Natsu let out a snort. "You didn't answer mine." He retorted.

Lucy's eyes widened when she realized the truth behind his words. She glanced down at her hands where her fingers were currently weaving and unweaving nervously together. Just as she opened her mouth to attempt to throw __some__ of her jumbled, chaotic thoughts into one sentence, Natsu began speaking, saving her the headache.

"Well, we have a while before Team Rescue is supposed to head out." He squinted into the distant sky. "It's just now dawn, and we're leaving at noon." His eyes found their way back to Lucy just as his signature grin stretched across his features. "I could use a little walk in some fresh air. Wha'd'ya say?"

The corner of her mouth quirked up into a small smile. Did he really believe that she could ever deny him with that grin? "Lead the way." She gestured forward with a sweep of her hand.

However, before her hand could fall back to her side, he caught it enthusiastically and tugged her forward, away from the guild and into the cover of the trees.

It wasn't long before Lucy found herself giggling over his childlike excitement of running freely with nothing to hold them back, and before she realized it they were standing on his doorstep. Or rather, __their__ doorstep.

Lucy quirked a brow. "Fresh air, huh?" She questioned curiously.

Natsu shrugged as he opened the door wide and gestured her inside before him. "I lied." He admitted simply, remorse nowhere to be found.

Lucy gasped in fake horror. "So easily?" Her hand flew to her heart as though it had been stabbed through. "I think I may have to reevaluate my opinion of you, Mr. Dragneel." She toyed, but walked through the open doorway nonetheless.

Once inside, she twirled around and looked up at him with expectancy. "So…" She began with a fluttery heart. He was still looking at her with that intense gaze and she could tell there were many things on the tip of his tongue that he wanted to say. "What are we doing here?"

Natsu peered down at her silently for just a few seconds. Then his mouth opened and he took in a deep breath.

Yet he seemed to change his mind about whatever he was going to say at the very last second. Instead he placed his hands on her shoulders, swirled her around, and pushed her in the direction of her bed.

"We're here," He started just as they reached the foot of her mattress. "Because we're going to get some rest. Well, __you__ specifically."

Lucy glanced over her shoulder at him in confusion. "Rest?" She asked. "What do you mean, I just got up."

"I don't know about you, but __I__ don't think partying the night away with Fairy Tail and then rising like the living dead at the crack of dawn counts as very good rest." Natsu pointed out fairly. "Not to mention that brain of yours tryin' to put you in an early grave, if the stress written all over your face means anything at all."

At that Lucy rounded on him. "I am not stressed!" She insisted much too quickly.

It was Natsu's turn to lift a brow. "Who's the liar now?"

Lucy's mouth shut with a loud snap. Then opened again to counter Natsu in some way before closing once more in defeat. She sighed. "Ah, so…I guess you __might__ say I've been a __little bit__ anxious since I woke up."

Natsu smiled. "Good. Now that we're bein' a little more honest we can talk about it." his eyes flashed mischievously. " _ _While__ you get some actual rest."

In the next instant Lucy was tossed into the air as though she were weightless, and then she was falling onto her pile of blankets all within the blink of an eye. The swift and fleeting rush of adrenaline sent her into a frenzy of giggles, which morphed into playful screams and laughter when she saw Natsu mimicking her freefall onto the mattress.

She attempted to roll out of the way but only managed to free half her body from being squished beneath Natsu.

"So that's your tactic, huh?" Lucy gasped between giggles. "Pin me down and force me to rest?"

"I guess so." Natsu lifted himself up just enough to peer down at Lucy with a crooked smile. "Unless you have any other ideas?" He suggested with a look that sent volts of electricity coursing through Lucy.

Lucy flushed from head to toe, turning a brilliant shade of red as quite a few of the 'other ideas' flew to the forefront of her mind. And she was sure that _none_ of them were what Natsu _meant_ to imply. She would have attempted some sort of response had she not been too preoccupied chewing her lip and nervously praying that Natsu didn't magically acquire the ability to read minds overnight.

Natsu, on the other hand, seemed to come to the full realization of the position they were in upon seeing the rosy glow come to life on her cheeks. His eyes widened as his own skin set aflame. He took one more moment to gaze down at Lucy; her hair was splayed out beneath her on the mattress, her eyes sparkling dangerously, and her alluring lower lip was held prisoner between her teeth—and oh, __God__ , __help him__ , how badly he wanted to free it himself.

And if he's wasn't mistaken, she was looking at him with just as much wonder.

He let out a little wheeze and toppled over to the side until he was lying flat on his back beside the blushing blonde. "On second thought, I think maybe right here is good." He said airily, although he didn't fool Lucy. "Who knows what you would have done if I'd stayed there." He grinned sneakily.

Lucy let out a small laugh. "Me? Coming from the guy that jumped me, __literally__."

Natsu winked, the action earning another chuckle and blush from his partner, and folded his hands beneath his head. His gaze traveled to the ceiling while he made himself comfortable. "So…do ya wanna tell me what's got you troubled?" He asked sincerely, distracting them both from the heat swirling inside them.

Lucy's smile softened into one of adoration, but thankfully Natsu's line of sight was pointed elsewhere. She settled down beside him, unconscious of the way her body naturally leaned toward his, and rested her head against his arm.

"I don't want you thinking I'm troubled…I have every bit of confidence that we'll succeed." She began talking immediately, deciding it was better to get her thoughts out of her rather than bottling everything inside. Natsu _ _did__ say he wanted her to be more honest with her feelings. And so she would, not just for him, but for herself as well. To lift some of the weight off her shoulders if anything. Who knows, maybe she actually _would_ be able get some good rest after doing so?

"Well," She continued. "Every bit of confidence that __you'll__ succeed. That Fairy Tail will."

Natsu's arm softly nudged her. "You mean __you__ too? You're a part of Fairy Tail, you know." His voice came out in a grumble, which Lucy found adorable.

Lucy grinned, giddiness filling her chest from his words. "Yes." She breathed, lifting her arm into the air above them to gaze up at her guild mark. "How could I forget?" She teased. "I wasn't excluding myself from that, don't get me wrong. It's just…ya know, what if I—well, mess up?"

She paused briefly and then all of her thoughts from before came pouring out. Well, __almost__ all of them.

"I __know__ that we'll do this right. I know that in my heart. But all of these thoughts just keep bombarding me, tugging at the back of my mind with insecurities. Like what if I do something wrong and then someone gets hurt because of it? I can't even come up with a decent example of what I would do that would be dumb enough to cause that, but that doesn't stop my stupid brain from mulling over the possibility anyway." Lucy's hand lowered and she turned her gaze back to Natsu.

"Or, you know, what if something happens to you because of me? Or if something happens to me, and that in itself causes you pain." Lucy drew in a breath. "I don't think any of that will happen, I really don't. But __my mind__." She let out a noise of frustration.

Finally, Natsu's gaze met hers. "It's normal, ya know. To be nervous." His eyes were vehement as they held hers captive. "It happens to everyone. The nerves just mean you care about the outcome. They show that you're passionate about what you're doing, and they drive you to succeed at doing it."

Lucy held her tongue, biting back the thought that almost came rushing out; __Then what does it mean when I get nervous around you?__

She figured now probably wasn't the time to tread into those unknown waters...she decided it best not to make herself __even more__ nervous before the big day.

No, she guessed that particular conversation was safer to be had __after__ the mission was complete. She smiled, proud of her surge of confidence as she silently promised that she would definitely talk with Natsu about, well, __them__ when they returned. She couldn't stay scared forever. Not when Natsu was so brave with everything he does.

She shook herself free of her thoughts and returned her focus to the boy on her mind. "I suppose you're right." She admitted. "I just hope they get a little easier to deal with."

Natsu grinned. "They will! Trust me."

Lucy returned his grin softly. "With my life." She said honestly.

For a moment silence filled the air and a peace that Lucy had been longing for settled within her. Huh…Natsu was right. She __did__ feel better after getting some of her worries out.

It was strange how he always seemed to know the right thing to say. She thought that only happened in stories.

Lucy giggled when a thought suddenly flew into her mind.

Natsu waited for her to explain but grew impatient. "What's so funny?" He asked, curiosity evident in his voice.

Lucy scrunched up her nose with a silly smile "It's kind of embarrassing." She warned. "But you asked for it."

Natsu listened intently, intrigued as to what it could be.

Lucy let out a long yawn before answering him. "On Earth we have these short little stories. They're pretty well-known throughout almost the entire world. You may have similar tales here too, but we call them __fairy tales__." Lucy smirked up him before continuing. "They're always about the most impossible, yet amazing things. Fantasies that most people couldn't even imagine happening to them. I was always a sucker for the fairy tales my mom would tell me before bed. So of course, when I first opened my eyes in this bizarre, seemingly __impossible__ world, I immediately began comparing my experiences to those familiar tales."

She grinned as she recalled some of the particular memories in her mind. "I guess I don't really remember __when__ exactly I stopped comparing my life to those made up stories. Eventually the comparisons just…stopped. I didn't have to anymore. My whole life became it's own fairy tale. Figuratively and literally." Her grin widened. "And there's no story in the entire universe that could compare to this one."

Natsu found himself grinning with a sense of pride. He was happy knowing that Lucy felt so strongly about Earthland, and knowing that __he__ was the one that introduced her to it. "You're right. That _is_ embarrassing." He teased.

Lucy scrubbed her knuckles against her eyes drowsily and Natsu's smile softened.

"Well let's hear one then." He said nonchalantly. "Tell me your favorite __fairy tale__."

Lucy's eyes lit up from his request. She thought of her favorite easily, and eagerly smiled before launching into a detailed recollection of 'Alice in Wonderland'. However, she didn't even get five minutes into her story before her eyelids grew heavy and she nodded off into a blissful sleep.

Natsu grinned triumphantly. Once he'd seen that Lucy was already getting tired, he knew making her retell one of her old bedtime stories would more than likely put her right to sleep. She almost made it __too__ easy. He'd have to make her finish the story some other time, though. He'd been really into it so far.

Natsu leaned his head against hers, feeling better knowing that Lucy was finally getting some much needed rest. Sensing that his mission was accomplished, Natsu decided he might as well join her in the dreamworld, and he too dozed off peacefully

Neither one was aware of the unspoken promise they individually made to tell the other about their feelings once they returned from their mission. But neither were they prepared for the chaos that would ensue within just a few hours time.

OoOoOoO

Lucy found herself in awe. Never before had she seen such an insanely large house. And this was __all__ for one family? And not even that anymore, it was just for __one__ person now! Or so she assumes at least…her father _could_ have made another family in her and her mother's absence, how was she to know? Lucy straightened up and rolled her shoulders back. Now wasn't the time to be intimidated by the size of a house—er, mansion…and now definitely wasn't the time to ponder potential half-siblings and stepparents.

She set her eyes straight ahead, facing the door to the building with confidence, and continued walking along her path. She may have appeared alone on this path, but she wasn't __really__. Everyone was already connected, thanks to Warren. At first she had been very worried about the idea of being wired to everyone telepathically. She sometimes had some pretty…uh, strange thoughts. Not to mention the downright embarrassing ones. So you can imagine Lucy's immense relief when Warren explained that it was more of a 'telephone connection'. If she said something in her mind specifically meant for Team Rescue, they would hear it. But her private thoughts were still her own.

 _"_ _ _Think of it like talking out loud, only in your mind instead." Warren assured, to which Lucy let out a sigh of relief.__

 _ _Gray laughed. "What kinda secrets are you worried about people finding out?" He asked jokingly.__

 _ _Natsu poked his head around Gray and smirked. "Yeah, Luce. Care to share?"__

 _ _Lucy's cheeks filled with warmth. Needless to say, both males were ignored.__

They separated shortly after that, Lucy taking the main road while the others took a more secluded path to stay under cover until Lucy gave the go-ahead to infiltrate. The separation had been short and sweet, everyone merely wishing her luck before ducking away. Natsu's goodbye had only taken a couple seconds longer than everyone else's. He grinned at her, filling Lucy with as much confidence as one person could possibly gain from a smile. "I'll see you soon." He promised, eyes filled with fire as they bore into hers. He squeezed her hands tightly before letting go. There were a lot of things they both wanted to say, but neither said them. __After this is over__ , Lucy thought resolutely. She smiled after him as he jogged to catch up with the others and then she set about her own path.

Now here she was, almost to the front door of this sickeningly large building. It towered over her, reminding her of a cold, dark castle. Nothing at all like the friendly, welcoming feeling she received from Fairy Tail's guild.

 _ _I'm here__ , she informed Team Rescue. __Just got to the front door__.

 _ _You're doing great, Lu.__ Levy's voice responded. Lucy found it amusing that Levy's voice was the same in her mind. __We just got to our waiting point. Just knock when you're ready and keep us informed.__

 _ _Try to project some of what you see back to us if you can.__ Lucy assumed this was Jellal _ _. If we see faces and surroundings beforehand, we'll be better prepared when we come in.__

 _ _Okay…__ Lucy stared at the front door. __How do I do that?__

 _ _Imagine you're recording a video or taking a mental picture and sending it to us.__ Warren helpfully replied.

Lucy nodded, to no one in particular since they couldn't see her, and focused on the door before her.

 _ _Perfect.__ Jellal approved and Lucy knew they could see the massive wooden doors she stood in front of. __Now, whenever you're ready.__

Lucy took a deep breath. Her hand was already rapping against the wood before she'd even finished exhaling.

There were a few moments of silence in which Lucy swore she could hear the knocks echo inside the house. And then there was the faintest pitter-patter of feet approaching.

Lucy's heart hammered in her chest as the sounds of many locks clicked open right before her. __Okay. Someone's opening now.__

No one responded, more than likely to allow Lucy to focus on talking with the stranger rather than being distracted by Team Rescue.

Finally, the last lock was undone and the doorknob quickly turned. The large door was impressively pulled inward by a very small elderly woman wearing the clothing of a servant. Lucy tried to make sure she was sharing everything she saw with the others before she began to speak.

"H-hi." She greeted with a small wave. "I, um, I'm Lucy."

The woman squinted up at her with confusion. That is, until she pushed her glasses further up the bridge of her nose and got a better look at Lucy. A squeak of surprise escaped the woman's mouth and she lunged forward.

Lucy's squeak of surprise was _far_ greater than the woman's when she was suddenly wrapped in a hug and then patted from head to toe. "Oh, my dear, Lucy!" The woman turned her this was and that, eyes filled with water as she took in Lucy's appearance. "How you've grown! Such a fine young lady, just as beautiful as your mother!"

Lucy's head swam, not at all having expected this kind of greeting. She felt almost guilty for not having any idea at all who this woman was.

The woman stopped spinning Lucy around in order to hug her one last time. Then she held her out at arms length and squeezed Lucy's elbows. "My dear," She started as her eyes glanced nervously around. Her voice dropped to a whisper. "You should not be here." The warning only barely registered in Lucy's ears before another voice echoed within the dark halls of the mansion behind them.

"Who is it, Spetto?" A man asked coldly, his voice harsh like a whip.

Fear filled the woman's eyes, chasing away the small bit of hope she had of Lucy leaving. She hesitated for only a moment and the man spoke once again.

" _ _Well?__ " His voice demanded and Lucy has a sinking feeling in her stomach that she knew just who the voice belonged to…

Spetto flinched and her eyes locked on with Lucy. So much regret and sorrow was silently conveyed in those watery orbs. Lucy offered Spetto a small smile, hoping that it told the woman she would be okay.

Spetto nodded once and released Lucy's arms. "It is…the young lady of the house, sir. She has returned home."

* * *

 **Ahh, it feels good to finally write again! And we're _here!_ Lucy made it to her father's manor! What do we think? Does anyone remember Spetto? Any guesses as to what's going to happen inside?:) What're your thoughts on the chapter and what's going to happen to our favorite wizards?^-^ Lemme hear 'em!  
**

 **And nowwww, to reply!**

 _ **[Replies to Chapter 32 Reviews]**_

 **FairyTailLover04 : Thank you so muchhhhh for reviewing! Ahh, it feels good to be back, so thank you for the warm welcoming ^-^ Hehehe, I'm always hoping for a progress in Natsu and Lucy's relationship! So much so that I'll just have to oblige :3**

 **SulliMike23 : Oh yes, definitely! The whole process of opening the second origins seemed so painful in the anime and manga, so I felt that I had to do it justice in this story by writing it just the same! Although it was a lot of guess work as to how it would feel, but oh well:) Thank you for reviewinggg!**

 **The Age of Awesomeness : Hi again!:D Thanks so much for reviewing and please don't apologize for anything! I appreciate you taking the time to review even when you're in a hurry! That's so awesome! T^T Thank you! Now...the biggest plot cliche? Oh dear, there are so many! Hahaha XD And I have to admit, some plot cliche I find entertaining! But I'd say that my least favorite is love triangles! UGH. I usually quit reading a story if it involves a love triangle. Usually! There are some that are written well and I can find myself enjoying, but most of the time I just feel like love triangles are sloppy ways of bringing the MC's to realize their feelings for one another. There are _usually_ so many other beautiful/tragic ways to do so! So, that's mine!:D Now I wanna know what you think the biggest plot cliche is!:D**

 **peacerockgirl123 : AHHHH, Yessss, all aboard the NaLu train!:D CHOO CHOO! Hahaha, yayyayyayyay! we are setting SAIL! I'm so happy that the update was able to bring you some smiles when you'd been feeling sick! Also, I realize this review I'm replying to was posted Feb 17th, but I hope you're feeling ten times better and healthy as a horse! XD Thanks so much for reviewingggg! You are so awesome! UNTIL NEXT TIMEEEE~!**

 **SleepinBeautyK : HIHIHIHI! Thank you so much for reviewing! :D I'm replying to your review that was posted on Feb 17th, but unfortunately I think some of it may have been cut off when it was posted T^T BUT, to reply to what I saw, THANK YOU! I liked writing Ultear's background, it was just the right amount of tragic and redemption, with similarities to the manga and also differences! I like thinking what parallels the two worlds might have:) You. Are. Awesome. And. Thank. You. So. Much!:D **

**FireShifter : AHH! Haha, we were in sync and now I'm trying to get back into that synchronization! :D The review I'm replying to right now was posted on Feb 20th, so I know you're probably not sick anymore (I sure hope not!), but still, I HOPE YOU'RE FEELING MUCH BETTER!:D Hehe, I'm glad you're able to see the affection between Natsu and Lucy growing. I want it to become more evident with the more they realize how they feel! Haha, Gajeel has always been a lost cause XD But hey, at least he's a perfect match for Levy, who has EVERYthing together! They balance each other out marvelously! Meredy and Ultear are so cute in my opinion! I'm glad they have each other to get through their dark pasts! Thank you so much for always being so supportive in everything I do! You're a really amazing person and I really appreciate hearing from you! ^-^**

 **Darlene : Oh, Darlene, I have so much to say to you! Before I even get into responding to the review, I just want to say how awesome of a friend you are! Thank you so much for everything and all of the kindness you've shown me through these recent months! Now, to replyyyy! ahhh, I'm so happy to hear that you actually enjoy getting on here to talk! Did I mention how awesome you are? ^-^ Haha, maybe we can both work through our tumbr shyness together! And yesss, I do understand you!:D I agree with everything you said :3 But don't worry about me misinterpreting anything! I don't think there's anything you'd write that could come off sounding the wrong way because you're so nice and sweet! I know you wouldn't mean anything bad! And ahhh, thank you so much! I love putting the time into these characters, and I love sharing their personalities with you through this story! Ahhh, and there's still SO much that I get to share with you too, so I'm very excited and happy about that! Feel free to message me anytime, and now that I'm feeling like myself again I can respond much better! AHHHH YOU'RE SO FLIPPING CUTE *gushes* It always makes my day to hear from you! I look forward to the next time~! *waves with the silliest grin ever* **

**Guest : AHH! WOW! First of all, welcome to the story! And second of all, NO, YOU'RE AWESOME! :D Thank you sooo much for reviewing and I'm thrilled that you've found this fic! I must say that I'm sorry it's been such a long time since I've updated, I've had quite a roller coaster ride of a life the past couple of months, but I hope you find this fic again and keep enjoying it like before ^-^**

 _ **[Replies to Chapter 33 Reviews]**_

 **Carnatiously : Hahaha, EARLY SQUAD! Yesss! :D AWH! You're so sweet, seriously, that review made me super happy! Thank you so much! And I think YOU'RE awesome! I will definitely do my best to keep it up and hopefully continue to write a story worth sharing!:D  
**

 **The Age of Awesomeness : Hi there again!:D I had two reviews to reply to for you and for that THANK YOU SO MUCH! You are seriously quite awesome;) Also, thank you very much for your kindness. And I do feel much better now. I've taken enough time to myself ^-^ Raise the flag and rel in the anchor because THE SHIP IS SAILING! Yay!:D Haha, now I'm excited to write where the ship goes ;)**

 **Kauia : Hello again!:D Yessss, thank you so much! I'm so happy that you love it so far! Writing Natsu and Lucy is so stinkin cute I just can't control myself sometimes :p I wanted them to both be separately aware of their feelings before anything further could potentially happen, so I'm glad it's working out so far!:D Yes! Mavis and Lucy having the same plans was something I was happy with because it showed that Lucy was thinking everything through logically and not just trying to put herself in danger! Plus I love the idea of Mavis and Lucy forming some sort of friendship ^-^ And YES! Don't worry, there will definitely be art made for Natsu's newly remodeled home!:D Thank you thank you thank you!**

 **SulliMike23:** **Ahhhh, how right you are! They are getting so close to that point and AH, I'm so nervous for it! T^T I'm not very experienced when it comes to writing scenes like that...actually, this story will be my first real attempt at a kiss scene so we'll see how that goes XD BUT we still have a 'while' before that! (but how long is a while..?)**

 **booklover551 : Thank you very much for your kindness and your condolences. I truly appreciate it very much and I want you to genuinely know that! I have my own beliefs about the afterlife, I find it all rather fascinating, but I won't get into that on here. Just know that I appreciate you so much for your words! And I wholeheartedly agree with you and believe that my friend is happy and at peace:) It took me awhile to get to this point, but it feels better being here now! I'll definitely see her again, like you said:) Although I'm not too fond of the idea of being old and wrinkly! XD Lol! **

**Guest Number 1 : Thank you so much for reviewing! I'm glad you found it interesting and I hope you continue to do so!:D**

 **FireShifter : Thank you so much for the condolences. You're so very kind and I truly appreciate you saying all of that and reaching out to me! And yes:) life is full of so many unforeseen circumstances and situations, you never know what can happen! So I will live my life everyday full of love for everyone and hopefully I can influence others even a little bit to live the same! Thanks again for being so sweet^-^ I'm glad the last chapter was fun to read! The new few may not be so fun, due to some upcoming events, *cough cough*, but I promise it will still be worth it! Hopefully! XD haha. Ahhh, Natsu flirting is what I live for! I need more of it in my lifeeee! And so it shall be!:D Eventuallyyyy. Haha, Gray and Natsu are both so protective over the girls, even though they're fully aware of the fact that they can kick some major ass! YAY! The estate is here! Now we'll find out what happens nextttt! Thank you so much for reviewing! You're always so kind and such a joy to look forward to!:D **

**Darlene : Hello again:) You're soo awesome, thank you for being such a good friend. I truly, truly appreciate your kindness. And I don't even know what words would be right to thank you enough. Your review plus your incredibly sweet messages have lifted my spirits more than I can say! And you're right about the last chapter, I dived into their world in order to escape from mine for even just a little while. However, it didn't last like I wanted it to unfortunately, but it was better that I came out and faced my problems head on...and now I can dive right back in to their world without the heavy cloud hanging over my head!:D My friend was one of the most genuine souls, filled with unyielding love. I hope to live right by her by surrounding myself with that same sort of love and kindness and giving it to others as well. Thank you so much, Darlene. You made me incredibly happy and I return the same offer to you as well. I am here for you, always! *hugs and squeezes you tight***

 **peacerockgirl123 : First off, I'm so sorry about the loss of your friend as well...it's a truly devastating thing when someone loses a life so young. I hope you've had time to heal from that tragic experience! And thank you very much for the condolences. They truly meant a lot to me and I want you to know that I'm very appreciative of it. And moving on to less sad things, thank you so much for reviewing! Twice, might I add!:D Hahaha, thank you so much and just know that this story loves you too! Ahhh, thank you for being so awesome~! YOU ROCK!;)**

 **misssbehavin : AH, oh wow! Thank you so much! I'm gushing!:D This story loves you justttttt as much, if not more than you love it!:D I truly appreciate you reading and keeping up with this crazy ride!:D And WOW, that makes me feel really good knowing that you take the time out of your busy days to read this story out of the thousands of others there are! T^T I'm sorry the updates have been sporadic lately. With my life returning somewhat to normality, I hope to work on the updates much more often!**

 **SleepinBeautyK : Thank you so much for your kind words and condolences. They genuinely mean so much to me and I hope that I can show that to you. It's a tragic and devastating part of life but it just goes to show that nothing is permanent and EVERYthing in life is meant to be cherished and enjoyed while you have it! This life is fleeting and I plan to enjoy to the fullest:) Thank you again, I feel much more like myself and can't wait to get back to sharing weekly chapters with you!:D Hahaha, you're right, Happy is always getting in the way of Natsu and Lucy's moments!XD **

**ThayetJade : Thank you very much for all of your kindness. Your condolences and words of encouragement were very uplifting and appreciated to no ends! Your words actually brought a smile to my face in an incredibly hard time, so thank you, thank you, thank you! You were so sweet. And thank you for the thoughts and prayers. You're an awesome person with a kind soul and you should always cherish that part of yourself, just as I'm sure it's cherished by many others!  
**

 **Guest Number 2 : Thank you, kind stranger, for the uplifting words of encouragement! You were genuinely very understanding and very supportive of whatever decision I decided to make with this story, and I truly appreciate that! Also, don't worry:) I will definitely see this story through to the very end! Which is still quite a way away:) You are so sweet and I hope you stick around for more!  
**

 **Just another rev : Well, hello there! You're reviewing on a guest account and alllll the way on chapter one, so I really hope you get to see this reply because I can't respond to you personally except for on here! But thank you so much!:D I'm thrilled to hear that you were so enamored with this story all the way from the VERY BEGINNING! That's so awesome! I hope you make it to the end with us! Welcome to the world of madness among the stars, we hope you enjoy your stay;) And Cheers to you as well!:D  
**

 **calypso tchaka : Helloooooo~~! WOW! You're reviewing on chapter four and already have so much to say! AWESOME! That makes me so incredibly happy beyond words! Holy cow!:D Thank you sooooo much for the awesome review! Welcome to the world of FT Fanfiction, it's a lovely land of madness topped with a bit of insanity, and, oh, you might not ever be able to leave once you've been sucked in! But, eh, who would want to? Being mad is much more fun!:D Unless it's the 'angry' kind of mad, in which case is no fun at all! 'Positively bonkers' mad is the mad we're going for;) Thank you for saying so many kind things! I'm thrilled to hear that my story gives off a warm and welcoming vibe! That's entirely the kind of person I am and the kind of story I wanted to create! So thank you! AHHH, for realll? You're smiling while reading the chapters?! Because I'M smiling like crazyyyy while reading your review! So we can both be weirdos togetherrrr~! This is the land of madness, remember?:D And yay! You're the first person to pay attention to the cherry blossom and sage aroma in the story! I absolutely LOVE those scents and thought they'd be perfectly suited for Lucy:) Hahaha, I love that you're reviewing older chapters because it's reminding me of some of the cute scenes between our lovely NaLu and Ahhhh, they just make me so happy! ACK, if you're drowning in bliss then I want to jump in with you! I will gladly try to turn any blue days into a rainbow-filled-spectrum-of-sunshine-and-sparkles, so please continue to enjoy! And if you ever need some more smiles and I haven't updated, feel free to message me:) I can surely (hopefully) provide a smile or two outside of this chaotic realm of magic and weirdos! Thanks so much for reviewing, and I'm so stoked that you found this fic!  
**

 **PHEW! That was quite a bit of replying which just reminds me how freaking LUCKY I am to having amazing reviewers like you all! Holy wow, thank you so much for everything! You all sure know how to brighten someone's day:)**

 **Well, you've probably heard enough out of me for one chapter:p Thanks so much again. You guys are truly the best!**

 **Let me know what you think!**

 **And as always, have a wonderful day/night!**

 **XOXO**

 **~Mac**


	35. Homecoming

**Ahhhhh, what a great time to be alive~! DRAGON CRY IS OUT, WOOT WOOT! I haven't had the opportunity to see it yet because I live in America, but OMGGG, it comes to theaters June 6th and I think my heart might absolutely explode from happiness!**

 **And not only that, but, Y'ALL...Nalu Week is upon us! AHHHHHHHH! Holy crap! I can't believe it's been a year already since the last NaLu Week! Wow wow wow! Anyways, so I just wanted to let you guys know that I'm going to be trying to bust out some quick chapters before I dive into the commitment of NaLu week! I plan on participating in one way or another for each prompt! So my chapters might be a litttleee shorter once that time comes, but I'll definitely still be releasing chapters for sure! Never fret!**

 **Ooooh, also, I'm making an art piece for the Final Anniversary Fairy Tail project T^T wow...saying 'final anniversary' literally just broke my heart...I guess soon we're all going to be relying on fanfictions a lot more, huh? T^T ten chapters left of the manga?! WTF...you guys, I'm so sadddddddd...ughhhh. But hey, we'll get through it together, won't we? D:**

 **Anywho, okay, enough jabbering! Enjoy the chapter...or don't, it's kind of a rough one D:**

 **I have some more things to say at the end, so make sure to read to the bottom!:D**

 **Allons-y~**

* * *

Not even a second after her announcement, Spetto was ripped out of the doorway, tossed to the side as if she had no more value than a rag doll. Lucy bristled with anger. However, before she could move in to help the poor woman to her feet, the doorway was once again filled, this time with a different body, blocking her way inside.

Lucy didn't pay the body any mind at first, defiantly averting her gaze from the tall figure to make sure Spetto made it to a standing position on her own. Once the woman was up, their eyes connected only briefly before Spetto shook her head sadly and scurried away into the dark halls of the estate.

Lucy took a deep breath. It was now or never. Slowly, her eyes traveled up the body of the man before her, a body that seemed much too thin to be considered healthy, until they landed on his face.

He wore a suit that surely cost more than all of Lucy's possessions combined, though that was the only thing about this man that seemed put together. His slicked-back blonde hair was sticking out in some places, giving him a disheveled, somewhat crazed look. But his eyes were what stuck out the most. They were set in a glare, fixated on her with a look that she supposed was meant to be threatening, but __inside__ them…it was as though they were twinkling. Lucy couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she immediately dismissed the idea that it was __tears__ causing his eyes to sparkle. There was no way her father was actually _ _crying__ over seeing Lucy for the first time in over a decade. No, not when he was looking at her with such contempt. Not possible.

She held his gaze evenly. __He's here.__ She addressed the others, hoping that her mind's voice didn't sound too shaky. If it did, no one commented on it. _ _My father's here.__

It was Natsu's voice that responded, filling her head with the warmth that he normally carried with him everywhere. __Just take it slow. You're doing great, Lucy. We're right behind you.__

Calmed by Natsu's voice, Lucy took a small step forward. "Hi." She began awkwardly. She cleared her throat before continuing. "I, um, I'm Lucy. And I hear you've been looking for me."

Her father's eyes widened fractionally, a look of fear coming and going in an instant. Then his face smoothed out, once more becoming void of all emotion aside from mild distaste.

He moved for the first time since laying eyes on her, gesturing inside the house stiffly. "Come. I've been expecting you to arrive. You've kept your mother and I waiting too long."

At that, he turned tail and disappeared into the dark house, not even checking to make sure she'd follow.

Lucy's jaw dropped. __That__ was it? __That__ was the way her father, whom she'd been led to believe was dead, greeted her after a lifetime of being apart? __That__ was her lovely father daughter reunion?

She had to admit, she didn't expect much, especially not after all the terrible things she'd heard about this man. But she definitely expected __some__ thing a little…more.

She had half a mind to turn around and leave, not wishing to give that vile human being even a moment more of her time. But she wasn't there for herself, or to have a touching reunion with her old man. She was there for a very different reason, and a few of his words were the only thing that drove her forward. _'_ _ _You've kept your mother and I waiting too long…'__

So Lucy huffed angrily and begrudgingly followed Jude into the building, with a scowl directed straight into his back.

 _ _You guys were right.__ __He's a dick.__ Lucy growled telepathically. _ _Let's just hope he's a dumbass too. So far he doesn't seem suspicious.__

 _ _Whoa. Never thought we'd see the day Lucy would use such language.__ Gray teased in an attempt to lighten her mood. __Fairy Tail must be rubbin' off on you more than we thought.__

 _ _Just remember what we're here for, Lu.__ Levy sent sadly. __This will all be over soon.__

Natsu was surprisingly silent, though Lucy could feel a burning anger emanating through the connection that she assumed belonged to him. He probably figured that staying silent was better at the moment than saying something that could potentially rile Lucy up and cause her to lose her composure.

Jude led her down winding, dimly lit hallways. She couldn't help but notice how cold the building felt, and not just temperature wise. The hallways were barren, empty of any and all decorations. There wasn't even a single picture frame to be found, despite the walls being filled with nails jutting out here and there, indicating that anything that had been hanging up in the past had long since been removed. It just felt…lifeless.

And the house wasn't the only thing that was lifeless. Aside from the rudely barked order he directed toward a few servants as they passed, Jude was completely silent as he robotically marched through the house. He remained quiet as he led her around corners, through halls, and down stairs until they arrived at what Lucy assumed was the basement floor. She, on the other hand, was _ _not__ silent. Not really, anyway. She telepathically repeated each and every turn they made back to Team Rescue, assuring that they knew where she was at all times, _ _and__ assuring she was never alone.

 _ _We're going down into the lower floor now. The three servants I mentioned earlier are the only people that I've seen so far, including Spetto, and he asked them to prepare a meal. Except I guess saying that he 'asked' is the understatement of a century…__ Lucy glowered into Jude's back as she recalled the way he'd nearly screamed the command. __Anyway, so they should be in the kitchen. I'm not sure how many others are wandering around though. My father surely doesn't seem the type to enjoy company. And this place is like a freaking dunge-__

"Who have you been keeping in touch with?" Jude asked, interrupting Lucy's silent conversation.

Her blood ran cold as she came to an abrupt stop. "W-what?" She shook her head. "N-no one, I-"

"Do not stutter, it is unbecoming."

Lucy's mouth snapped shut instantly. Her teeth ground together painfully in order to prevent herself from going off on this arrogant man she'd only just met. __What an ass!__

Jude continued without a care in the world. "Since you've been here. Who have you been in touch with?"

Lucy didn't respond right away, finally earning herself an actual glance from her dear father. It was a sideways glance, but hey, who cares about the details? Besides, right now she was in trouble…Jude knew she was talking to someone. They'd been found out. What should she do? What should she say? Or maybe they hadn't actually been caught at all…maybe Jude was just trying to scare her into confessing something. Either way, she'd never sell out her friends. Neglecting to say anything was her best option right now. She just hoped that her expression displayed indifference as opposed to fear.

He looked at her for only a moment before letting out a noise of frustration. "Well?" He pushed. "You've been here a while, have you not? Surely __you__ couldn't have survived on your own."

Lucy's eyes widened fractionally, ignoring the obvious jab at her survival skills. So that's what he was really asking…panic surged through her racing heart as she deliberated her response.

 _ _He wants to know where I've been staying. I don't know what to say__ … Lucy admitted to the others. __What if it's a setup? What if he's trying to figure out who knows that I'm here or something? He could be setting up a trap for the guild and-__

 _ _Tell him.__ Natsu's voice finally filled her mind with a low growl. _ _Tell him, Lucy. I want him to know exactly who your family is. Fairy Tail can handle__ any _ _thing he sends our way.__

Lucy stopped herself from nodding, but she couldn't help the way her lips pulled up in a little smirk. Of course Natsu would say that…and of course it would fill Lucy with the courage necessary to answer her dad.

But apparently not quickly enough. Jude turned fully around, his almost-nonexistent patience finally running dry. "Look, __child__ , when I ask you a question I __expect to be__ -"

"Actually, I'm not a child." Lucy interrupted with a hard look. She was gaining more confidence by the second by repeating Natsu's words in her mind. "If you remembered my birthday, you'd know I turned eighteen over a month ago. But that's irrelevant to your question, isn't it, _ _father?__ " Lucy let his irritated, semi-shocked expression sink in for only a moment before continuing. "But since you __expect__ an answer, a guild took me in when I first arrived here. They've been wonderful to me ever since. I'm very thankful." She spoke as formally as possible, but only so that she could imitate the tone of a prissy, prestigious, and obedient girl. She even threw in a little curtsy just to spite him. Yes, she'd definitely found her courage, alright. "Does that answer suit you better?"

She heard Natsu's hearty laughter clear as day, as if he were standing right beside her facing the man known as her father only through blood, and it fueled her further along. So when Jude didn't miss a beat by asking ' _ _what guild?__ ' through clenched teeth, her answer was nearly automatic.

Lucy raised her hand with a proud smile, showing off her pink emblem and her __unbecoming__ scar. "Fairy Tail." She answered with bravado. "The best wizarding guild in all of Fiore. And I'm lucky enough to be a part of it." Her smile softened with adoration. "They're like family to me."

Her adoring smile didn't last. Jude took one look at the mark on her hand and scoffed, which brought anger to a boil within Lucy once more. " _ _Fairy Tail?__ " He spat with repulsion. "That rag tag group of misfits? They can __hardly__ be considered your friends, let alone your family." Jude ran a hand through his unkempt hair. "This is why I had so many people searching for you. I knew if you were left alone, you'd be incapable of making rational decisions, __just like your mother.__ Now I have to find someone to remove that godawful mark from your skin. You've already ruined it enough with whatever mutilation made that scar, and now that mark too?"

Lucy froze.

There were so many things, so many _ _terribly inappropriate__ things, that she wanted to say. So many terribly __inhumane__ things she wanted _ _to do__. But not one thing seemed able to escape her. She was completely frozen.

How could anyone say all of that? How could anyone think so little of Fairy Tail? Or think so little of __feelings__ in general. How could he speak so little of her mother? And then threaten to remove her guild mark! And doesn't he know that she only had a scar in the first place __because of the people he hired to find her?__ This man was a wretched man, so much so that it shocked Lucy into absolute stillness…for the moment.

"Close your mouth, don't gape at me like that." He barked. "Now, come. I'll have someone bring the right equipment later to remove that stain."

An unintelligible stream of curse words rang through the mental connection, from two very different voices, overlapping one another in their fury. Their thoughts and emotions were running so wild that Lucy and Natsu didn't even seem to realize that they were relaying their cursing through the connection, let alone that _ _both__ of them were doing so.

Jude turned tail once more and continued moving down the hall.

Lucy stayed put. Good thing, too. If she had moved even an inch, she probably would have blindly attacked her father from behind, and Natsu taught her better than that during their training. Never attack an opponent from behind. So she stayed still. But at least she'd finally found the word she wanted to say.

"No." She stated dangerously.

Jude stopped. His head didn't move to turn back her way. He just…stopped. "Excuse me, __what?__ "

"I didn't stutter, __father__. __No__." Lucy stood her ground even as he turned her way and walked back until he was standing directly in front of her. She glared up at him all-the-same. "I'm not going anywhere with you, and I'm sure as hell not leaving my guild __or__ removing my guild mark. I came here for my mom." Lucy bit her tongue right before saying Erza's name and blowing their entire cover. "Don't be disillusioned."

A hand lifted quickly, and Lucy braced for a hard smack. She prided herself in never wavering her hold on his eyes, despite the hand coming towards her. But a slap surprisingly never came. Jude simply stared at Lucy with wide eyes, his hand raised in the air as if he wanted to reach out and touch her face. She thought she saw his eyes begin to sparkle once more, but he looked away before she had the chance to find out.

"Fine." He spoke lowly, his expression darkening. "I'll take you to your mother." He turned around as if he were about to take off again. Before he took a step, however, he whispered. "You're just like her…"

For a moment, a small, __fraction__ of a moment, Lucy thought he sounded __sad__. But then she remembered all of the nasty things he'd literally __just said__ to her face, and she removed any such thoughts of sadness from her mind. She didn't have a chance to ponder too deeply about it anyway before he began walking at a pace that would lose Lucy in minutes if she didn't keep up.

 _ _Lucy? You good? That guy really was a dick..__

 _ _Lushi…I hope all his fish are rotten for the rest of his life.__

 _ _Hey, Lu…are you okay?__

 _ _Oi, shrimp, quit crowdin' her mind.__

 _ _You guys…I think it's getting a little loud in here.__

Voice after voice invaded her mind, talking over one another in their desperation to check on her, pressing on until she felt a headache beginning to form. She knew her friends meant well, but when all of this noise entered her mind at once, it got a little overwhelming. It's not like she could cover her ears or do anything to get away from it. Until finally…

 _ _SHUT UP!__ Natsu shouted, causing everyone to flinch. Lucy was grateful that her father hadn't been looking at her while it happened, that would have definitely seemed suspicious. _ _Damn, you guys're loud.__

 _ _You're one to talk, idiot.__ Gray grumbled.

 _ _Excuse me, I just wanted to make sure Lu was alright!__ Levy shot back at the same time that Gray insulted Natsu.

 _ _Shrimp, yer doin' it again…__

 _ _OW! Why'd you hit me out of everyone, flame head?!__

 _'_ _ _Cause you were annoyin' me the most!__ Natsu shot back. _ _Luce is fine. She's doin' great so far and she's fine. Got it? Leave her alone and let her focus on the mission.__

Lucy smiled softly. Natsu had her back, even when he wasn't with her. He knew she wouldn't want to talk about the things that just transpired with her father, not yet anyway. He knew she'd want space to cool down, and gather her thoughts before having them bombarded by everyone else's… She'd have to be sure to thank him later when this was all over.

 _ _I'm fine, guys. I promise.__ She assured the others before noticing that her father was slowing down his pace.

A few feet later, he'd stopped in front of two giant, ornately designed, wooden doors. There were an obscene amount of locks in place, and Jude swiftly began undoing each one. It wasn't until the last lock clicked open that Lucy truly realized what she was going to find behind these doors. In her angry state, she'd almost entirely forgotten where he was taking her…she'd almost forgotten __who__ he was taking her to see.

Jude swung the door inward and Lucy took one peep inside. It was all over from there. It was like a bucket of cold water was dumped over Lucy's head, waking her up from a nightmare in the sharpest way possible.

She didn't have time to gape at the largest in-home library she'd ever seen. She didn't have time to marvel at the vast, seemingly limitless, amount of books. She didn't have time to consider how her feelings had went from night to day in a instant after looking from one parent to the other.

She didn't have time for __any__ thing, really. Not before _ _literally__ launching herself deep into the library at a speed that would surely make Natsu proud.

" _ _Mom!__ " Lucy crashed into her mother's body with little to no grace as they toppled to the ground.

" _ _Lucy?!__ " Layla's voice was incredulous as her daughter patted her from top to bottom, assessing her for injuries, and unashamedly assuring herself that her mom was real. Really real, like, in the flesh, __real.__ And aside from a thick, heavy chain fastened around her ankle to keep her in place, Layla seemed completely unharmed.

It only took a heartbeat before Layla started doing the same to Lucy.

Lucy realized belatedly that tears were streaming down both their faces as they gripped onto one another for dear life. Her mom seemed to be floundering for words, but could only stare at Lucy with wonder and many mixed, unspoken emotions.

Lucy thanked every star in the universe that her mom was alive. That she was here. That after so, so long, they were finally reunited once more. It was like a slide show began playing in her mind, reliving every moment they'd ever laughed together, or cried together, or experienced anything beautiful together. Lucy had __a lot__ of things to question, and __a lot__ of things to say…but this woman was __her mother__. And despite the faults of her past, Lucy could never look at Layla any differently than that.

A door slammed behind Lucy, instantly popping the bubble of relief she'd formed around her and her mom.

It seemed to bring Layla back to the present in the same instant. Her eyes grew wide. "Lucy…h-how?" Fear seeped into her expression as the sound of locks clicking reached their ears.

Lucy turned around to see that her father had already retreated, swiftly fastening the locks back into place as he went. Good riddance. She didn't want him spoiling her reunion with her mother anyway.

But his absence only meant that she had to move fast. Even though she wanted nothing more than to stay with her mom, and to never leave her side again, she knew there was more to be done.

"Luce, w-why are you… _ _here?"__ Layla's breathing quickened. "Oh, God, you're here. Do…do you…do you know where-?" Layla couldn't finish the question.

Her words were immediately cut off when Lucy pulled a necklace of keys out of her shirt. Layla's eyes glued themselves to the small objects, and breath seemed to escape her altogether.

It wasn't until Lucy lifted her one golden key and called upon the spirit it belonged to that Layla finally found her voice.

"Leo…" She breathed barely in a whisper as the smoke disappeared, revealing the orange-haired spirit.

Loke exchanged a serious look with Lucy before turning to Layla. He reached for her hand, which she allowed to be taken in her shock, and placed a quick peck right on top. "Layla." He gave her a small, half grin as he released her hand. "It's been a while."

Layla was pale as a sheet, resembling a ghost while her expression was of someone who'd just seen one.

"Loke. I have to go." Lucy said in a rush. She rose to her feet and stepped away from her mother.

" _ _What?__ " Layla's head snapped to the side. She went to reach for Lucy, to pull her daughter back into the safety of her arms, but she was just out of arm's length.

Lucy smiled once at her mom, and she hoped it conveyed everything she wanted to say but didn't have time for right now. Then her face grew serious and her eyes reconnected with Loke's.

"Stay with her, please. Keep her safe. If someone realizes I'm gone and they come for her, you know what to do."

" _ _What?!__ " Layla repeated, only louder. She started pulling on her chain in the hopes that she could break it with her strength alone. "Lucy, you are not going anywhere. __No.__ "

"Of course, princess." Loke grinned, but it didn't reach his eyes. Lucy knew he probably hated having to ignore Layla. And after everything they've been through, this probably wasn't exactly how he'd imagined their reunion to be either. "And the others? They know what you're doing right now?"

Lucy tapped her temple as she said, "I'm filling them in as we speak."

 _ _I found her. I found my mom.__ She reported

 _ _Lu, that's so great! I'm so happy for-__

 _ _Loke is staying with her. They're in a library.__ Lucy interrupting, moving on to tell the rest of her plan before her friends could get too excited for her. She knew that a little bit of anger would be coming soon…

And of course, Natsu was the one that responded, catching on to what she was saying immediately.

 _ _What's that s'posed to mean? You're staying there too until we get in there.__

Lucy was already pulling the King's Key off her necklace and replacing it with Loke's as she responded. __I know that was the plan, but it'd just save time if I kept looking while you guys sneak in. I found my mom, but I haven't seen Erza yet, or found any of the zodiac keys. No one's been suspicious of me, so as long as I don't bump into my father I could just play dumb if I get caught wandering around. Say I got lost or something. Besides, Tartaros isn't here. It's just been workers so far. This place is huge, staying in the library to wait for you guys would just waste time.__

 _But Lu,_ Levy began hesitantly. _Part of the reason you were going in alone was to see if you could get any information out of your father about Zeref or Tartaros. And we were supposed to sneak in while he was distracted talking with you._

Lucy had been prepared for someone to say that, answering immediately with her response. _Trust me, Lev. That man isn't going to be telling me anything. He can't even look me in the eye. There's no way he's going to sit and have a civil conversation with me. Waiting around hoping for something that won't happen is just wasting our time._

 _ _Lucy.__ Natsu growled her name, but she was already holding the key out in front of her.

"Lucy, stop!" Her mom begged, pulling on her chain with even more vigor than before. She could now see the King's Key in Lucy's hands, and she knew exactly what it could do…

"I have a friend that's in danger here, mom." Lucy's eyes connected with Layla's momentarily before she turned her back altogether. "I won't leave them behind. I don't see how __anyone__ could do that…"

Layla was struck speechless, eyes wide from the verbal smack across the face, giving Lucy the opportunity to say one last thing to Loke. "Try and do something about that chain if you can, Loke. It'd be better if she could run just in case the need arises."

Then, without so much as waiting for a response, Lucy teleported herself out of the library and into the hallway with the help of the King's Key.

Once she was on the other side of the library's door, she leaned against it, taking a moment to calm her racing heart and catch her breath.

 _ _Good news.__ She announced. __I just used the King's Key to get out of the library and I only feel a little tired. Like I just need a cup of coffee, nothing too crazy. Looks like the second origin definitely paid off. Thanks for that, Jellal.__

 _ _No need for thanks.__ He responded wearily.

Having regained her composure, Lucy pushed off the door and began her way back down the hall. __Any ideas where to look for Erza, Lev?__

It took Levy a moment before responding. __I would have assumed the basement…creepy dungeon style, ya know? But you said you're already there…so I guess for now, just check every room you can?__

 _ _Deal.__ Lucy replied. She'd already made it to the end of the hallway she was in, so she decided she'd better start from there.

Lucy began opening doors as she went, flipping on light switches to peek inside before returning them to their usual state. She found it strange that Natsu wasn't giving her anymore push-back for going off on her own. Not that she was complaining about that or anything…he just wasn't usually the silent type. She wished that she could see what was happening on their side, but knew she was more useful here.

She tried to focus on the task at hand, pushing her thoughts of Natsu and the others to the back of her mind as she checked offices, spare bedrooms, storage closets, bathrooms, and so on. She once again found herself disgusted with the sheer enormity of the estate she was in, wondering why on Earthland someone needed such a large house to themselves. And she was only on __one floor__.

She reached the other end of the hallway with no luck. She decided to give her report to the others just as she was opening the very last door and peeking inside. __Looks like I'm going to have to go up, Erza's not in any of these roo__ _ _－__ _ _wait...__

Lucy squinted into the coat closet, pushing the gaudy clothing to the side to get a better look into the back. Sure enough, safely tucked away behind all of the jackets was a small, wooden door.

Despite the horrible seriousness of the situation, Lucy's heart quickened with excitement. This was kind of cool, right? All things considered...she just found a secret doorway! Lucy allowed herself to feel adventurous and giddy for just a moment before focusing once more.

 _ _I found something. It might not be anything other than more storage, but there's a doorway hidden in the back of a coat closet. I'm going to-__

A deafening screech of an alarm cut into Lucy's words, ringing over and over again, loudly echoing throughout the entire estate.

Lucy's eyes shot open wide and a hand flew to her heart as if it might help calm her down. __What happened? Is everyone okay?!__

 _ _We're fine.__ Levy answered. __Gajeel, Lily, Jellal, and I are still outside, and Warren is back at the rendezvous spot…but everyone else went in…Natsu wouldn't wait, he was worried, and the others-__

 _ _This wasn't us.__ Gray replied back. __We didn't set off anything.__

 _ _That means someone knows we're here.__ Juvia finished Gray's unspoken thought.

 _ _Or someone realized I'm missing.__ Lucy pushed open the secret door. _ _Which means we have even less time now. I'm going down.__

 _ _Luce, wait! I'm coming down to the basement.__ Natsu begged, finally speaking up now that his plan was ratted out. __If I could find the stupid place__. He growled. __Who needs a freakin' house this big?!__

 _ _Natsu, where are you guys?__ Levy asked calmly. __If you tell me where you are I can guide you down to Lucy. I memorized the blueprints of the house, remember?__

 _ _I don't know who to thank for that big brain of yours, Levy, but you're a lifesaver.__ Natsu responded before Gray began describing their whereabouts to Levy.

Lucy, however, was already making her way into the hidden room. Waiting for Natsu was costing her time. And besides, Levy was leading them to her at that very moment. There was no harm in her going on ahead…The secret door led her into a damp, stone stairwell, like something out of a cliche horror movie, but Lucy purposefully ignored that comparison.

She trotted down the steps as quickly and carefully as she could without toppling face first. Once she reached the bottom it took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. There was only a small amount of light leaking in from the top of the stairs, and Lucy unfortunately didn't have the superb eyesight that Natsu had.

When her eyes finally adjusted, she was able to make out faint silhouettes in the darkness. There only seemed to be a small table with one lone chair, and, off in the far corner, a form that could only be someone's body.

 _ _I'm in the hidden room. There's someone here…__

Lucy edged closer, feeling a bit safer knowing that the others were on their way. "H-hello?"

When the person didn't respond, Lucy inched further in. There was something strange about the way the person was standing. It was like they were holding their hands above their head.

Curse this dark lighting...She wished she could be a dragon slayer right about now…but nevertheless, she pushed herself forward. So far the person seemed harmless enough.

After taking one more step forward Lucy could finally make out a distinct characteristic of the person in front of her. Red hair. Long, beautiful red head, despite how matted and disheveled it was at the moment.

"Oh, God, Erza!" Lucy rushed forward, throwing caution to the wind now that she knew it was her friend in front of her.

 _ _Guys, I-I found her, I found Erza!__

When Lucy was standing right before the redhead, she finally figured out why her position seemed so strange. She was unconscious, her head lulled forward, and the only thing keeping her upright was the chains trapping her hands high above her head.

 _ _This is bad…I don't know what they've been doing to her, but we have to get her down. Natsu, hurry.__

Lucy's eyes watered as she peered up at her comrade. "Oh, Erza, I'm so sorry." Her voice cracked as she reached forward to place a gentle hand on Erza's arm.

However, the moment Lucy's fingertips barely grazed the soft skin of her arm, Erza violently thrashed out of reach, a scream of agony tearing through her vocal chords.

Lucy stumbled back in surprise, resulting in herself tripping over her own feet and falling to the ground. "E-Erza?!" She watched helplessly as her friend thrashed about as if she were experiencing pain beyond Lucy's imagination.

 _ _Natsu…Erza, she…something's wrong…__ Lucy tried to gather her thoughts to form some sort of logical sentence to report to the others. But it was in that moment that she realized something even worse.

How long had it been since she heard Levy giving the others directions?

How long had it been since Natsu had responded to her?

How long had she not been alone…?

"Well, well…What do we have here?" An amused voice came from directly behind Lucy, the very breath of the stranger sending hot waves of air against her neck, as well as terrified chills down her spine. "Is this a new toy, perhaps?"

* * *

 **Ah, ah, ahh...sooooo, first impression of Jude isn't exactly the best, huh? T^T**

 **What did you guys think? Any predictions? Lucy reunited with her mom! Even though it wasn't for very long:( Lucy had a mission, and a sense of urgency to complete it so they couldn't relish in the comfort of being reunited just yet!**

 **Lucy also found Erza there at the end:) butttt, not exactly in the great condition that her mom was in...any ideas who was in the room with Lucy? Or what's wrong with Erza?**

 **Let's hear the theories!**

 **And now, onto the replies~**

 **ThayetJade : Ahhhhh, no, dear, YOU say the sweetest things:D That's why I was so appreciative! ^_^ Tehehe, ahhh, blushing?! That means I definitely said something right!:D I hope you're having a wonderful day/night! And thank you for saying that :3**

 **peacerockgirl123 : Oh, wow! I hope your finals went well! They're over and done with now, which meannsssss, time to relaxxxx and enjoy yourself and take a much needed break from your studies! And holy cow, wow, I'm so happy I could help relieve some stress even a little bit! That makes me beyond happy to hear! Hehe, yessss, the fluff is real! Gah, I just adore those two little dorks! Writing them makes me so happy! And OH GIRL... *raises both hands* THE EXCITEMENT FOR DRAGON CRY IS TOO REAL! *raises my cats paws in the air too* I just want to see it soooo bad! June 6th can't come quickly enough! Have you had a chance to watch it yet?!**

 **misssbehavin : Holy crap, wow! I'm so happy to hear that, it makes my head spin! Ahhh, really?! To hear that someone is enjoying the plot just as much as the NaLu bits makes me beyond happy! I really want this story to stick with readers and gah, wow, I just...ahhh! You made me speechless! And to know that you're also reading it to keep your English refreshed, just, ahh, holy moly! Btw, your English is always on point in your reviews! *thumbs up* Thank you so much! You are absolutely the sweetest person ever, and I value you so much! Thank you for making my night ^_^ I will make sure to keep it up and hopefully keep the story up to par! I don't want to disappoint! T^T Ahhh, you make me blush, KKKKK, andddd I may love you too? Yes? Of course! And lastly...did I mention that I love cliff hangers? O_O Ahhhh, I'm so sorry! I look forward to hearing from you again! ^-^**

 **calypso tchaka : EEPP! Ahh, what can I say?! There are no words to describe how happy your reviews make me! Holy cow! You're so awesome, and you even reviewed multiple chapters while you read the story, it was awesome! T^T hahaha, I love your theme! The Squee-theme! Haha, I wanna join in and do it with you! SQUEEEEEE~! Hahaha, the Mira squee boat! XD Ahaha, you're funny! Your reviews make me laugh and for that I genuinely thank you! Oh, people definitely know something is going on when people read fanfiction! Haha, I'm always grinning like an idiot at my phone when I read it and others have to look at me like I'm crazy! Ahh, you're so sweet for thanking me throughout your reviews, but it is I who should be thanking you! Hearing reviews like yours make this whole writing experience worthwhile! To hear that someone out there is getting a kick out of something that was written by me...that feeling is indescribable! So thank you, thank you, thank you! I hope you continue to enjoy this story and that I won't disappoint~! I look forward to hearing from you! Warm regards to you as well~ Also, in your latest review you mentioned you were feeling sick! I know that was a while ago, but I hope you're feeling much better now and healthy as a horse! ^_^  
**

 **SulliMike23 : Confrontation: engaged! Ahhh, not exactly the best meeting they could have had...but alas, there willllll be more. mwahahaha.**

 **Guest : Awh, thank you so much, sweetie! I really appreciate that! And back at ya, I'm glad that youuuu are reading my writing;D**

 **bowlalie : HAH! XD I wondered if anyone would catch that! You're the first person, I think:p lol...aha...ha...way to go, Lucy, for having the best means of escape EVER. I mean, come on, if I could run away to Fairy Tail right now I would never look back!:D**

 **Darlene ^-^ : Hiiiii, honey~!Ahhh, gosh, you're just so sweet! I promise I'll keep being this way if you promise to keep being as lovely and nice as you are toooo! I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter! The tension between our love birds is too real right now! And they're both ready to confess to each other when they get back, UGH, finally! I just wish we could get a confession out of the real Natsu and Lucy in the manga! Speaking of the manga...Oh gosh, I'm so sadddd! T^T *cries on your shoulder* ten chapters isn't enough to fulfill my soul! Gah. I'm so in denial about it ending...I wish I had come into this fandom a long time ago! Anyways, moving on before I cry T^T Thank you for saying that I'm strong. That actually really means a lot to me because I don't feel like it very often. You're so kind, and so uplifting, and it's absolutely wonderful to have a friend like you in my life! Ahh, Darlene, thank you, as always, for putting the biggest smile ever on my face! You're the best (^_^) *hugs you tight* I hope you have a wonderful day/night, dear!**

 **carnatiously : Awh, I'm so sorry for making you bummed! I think I was burning myself out by doing HUGE chapters that were like 25 pages long, and then it would take me awhile to find the motivation to write another because I felt like it had to be that long again! But this one was a lot shorter and it felt really good to bust out, so I think I'll be able to update more often if I keep doing them like this! Was the length of this chapter okay? Let me know what you think!:D And oh wow, you found my art on tumblr! T^T that makes me so happy! And I'm glad it brought you here for the update ;)**

 **Edo-Salandria : Ahhh, thank you so much! I'm glad you liked it! Our NaLu babies needed a little alone time before things got serious:) Here you are! I hope it wasn't too long of a wait! Thank you for readingggg~!**

 **sarara1.8 : Oh wow! Binge-reading it, really?! T^T Ahhh, that makes me so happy to hear, you have no idea! Wow, thank you!:D I'm so happy that you found this story and I hope that you continue to enjoy ^-^ I look forward to hearing from you again!:D**

 **Thank you guys so much for all the wonderful reviews! And thank you for the new follows and favorites! You guys rock! I can't even begin to show my appreciation!**

 **And now that the replies are out of the way I have something I need to announce/ask you guys! (BTW, thank you to those of you that actually made it here down at the bottom!)**

 _ **So, this story is ending soon.**_

 **Or rather, it _might_ be. We're almost at a point where I feel like it might be good to end. We're already at around 187,000 words, give or take, and that's already longer than the average length of an actual novel. BUT BUT BUT, MY story is no where near done. I still have a lot to go before DTRH is complete. **

**So my question is, would you guys rather me continue and make this story one giant one? Or end this one and make a sequel? What do you think would be best? This is my first fanfic, so I'm kinda new to all this still, and I'd really appreciate any and all advice! Thanks a ton in advance! And as always, thank you for the support! If it weren't for you guys this story definitely wouldn't have made it this far.**

 **Have a wonderful day/night! I look forward to hearing from you all!**

 **XOXO**

 **-Mac**


	36. Heightened

**Let me start off by saying, yes! I'm still alive! And I haven't forgotten about or given up on this story by any means. In fact, I've just rekindled my creative spirit after a few months of complete and utter lack of inspiration and motivation, and I plan on coming back with a bang! Hopefully, haha.**

 **It makes me happy beyond my wildest dreams that you guys are back again too, still following this story. It means you haven't given up on me either, just like how I struggled with not giving up on myself. So thank you!**

 **And without further ado, this one's a little rough at the end, bear with me!**

 ***warning for violence and mentioning of torture***

* * *

Of the many admirable—and some just plain bizarre—traits that Natsu possessed, patience had never been among them. Truthfully, he didn't think it was a quality he'd ever be able to master. Or he wasn't holding his breath for it anyway…So it came as a surprise to no one that he could hardly even keep still as Team Rescue waited for the word to infiltrate the Heartfilia manor.

Especially not after hearing all of the nasty things Jude had to say to Lucy. Natsu could care less if someone disrespected him. Other people's opinions of him had never even so much as caused him to lift a brow. But the moment someone started trash talking Fairy Tail…well, let's just say it normally didn't end well. And that was _before_ he met Lucy.

 _Now_ the situation only seemed ten times worse. Here he was, stuck listening to some stranger spew atrocious nonsense out about his guild, while _also_ talking down to _Lucy_ , of all people! Lucy! And to top everything off, as if his day could get any better, he was being pinned down to the ground by Gray, who thought Natsu was going to go storming into the house in a whirlwind of flames. To be fair, at the moment Natsu had every intention of flying in there to give that asshole a piece of his mind…but that didn't make him feel any better about Gray's shirtless body being the one thing holding him back from it!

It wasn't that he didn't have any faith in Lucy. Actually, it was quite the opposite. Natsu had every ounce of faith that she would keep her composure despite the despicable man that was supposed to be her father treating her so harshly. He knew for certain that she would handle the situation with a lot more grace and poise than Natsu ever could. He was positive of that…but that didn't change the fact that he wanted to set that horrendous mansion on fire nonetheless. _After_ he got everyone out, of course…well, except maybe Lucy's dad.

Soon, however, those thoughts were completely pushed to the side. A sudden burst of warmth swam through the connection in everyone's minds, overwhelming Natsu momentarily. The feeling was one of pure, unadulterated happiness, and amidst the current situation and atmosphere, this new flowing feeling of joy could only mean one thing.

 _I found her. I found my mom._

Various animated murmurs of elation spread throughout his team members, out loud _and_ silently through their mental connection. Levy and Juvia began clapping ecstatically, while Happy and Pantherlily gave each other a high five ten feet in the air above the rest. Even Natsu couldn't help jumping to his feet in excitement, with such force that it sent Gray flying backwards off of him, and pumping a flaming fist into the air.

"Hey, ass flame! What the hell?!" Gray shouted from the ground, but he couldn't make his tone sound truly angry considering the news they'd just received from Lucy.

"It's okay," Juvia cooed, "Gray-sama can pin Juvia down instead!"

Natsu rolled his eyes and Levy giggled softly before returning focus to their friend in the manor.

 _Lu, that's so great!_ Levy began with a huge smile. However, she never got to finish her sentence… _I'm so happy for-_

 _Loke is staying with her. They're in a library._

A chill ran down Natsu's spine at Lucy's words. Not only because he knew exactly what those words meant, but also because there was a sudden change in the air. As if the temperature _just_ infinitesimally dropped, becoming slightly colder. But it was enough for Natsu to pick up on. It was enough to make the hairs on the back of his neck stand on edge. And it was enough for him to suspiciously glance around their surrounding location.

He let out a low growl when he saw nothing, but the feeling wouldn't go away. _What's that s'posed to mean? You're staying there too until we get in there._

Natsu's feet were already moving by the time Lucy started speaking, knowing her answer all too well. Of course she wouldn't stay where she was at…why did Natsu even for a second humor the idea that _Lucy_ would sit around waiting for her dad to come back? She wasn't exactly the best at staying where she was supposed to.

 _I know that was the plan, but it'd just save time if I kept looking while you guys sneak in. I found my mom, but I haven't seen Erza yet, or found any of the zodiac keys. No one's been suspicious of me, so as long as I don't bump into my father I could just play dumb if I get caught wandering around. Say I got lost or something. Besides, Tartaros isn't here. It's just been workers so far. This place is huge, staying in the library to wait for you guys would just waste time._ Her words came out a bit rushed, yet confident all the same.

 _But Lu,_ Levy thought hesitantly. _Part of the reason you were going in alone was to see if you could get any information out of your father about Zeref or Tartaros. And we were supposed to sneak in while he was distracted talking with you._

Natsu almost stopped walking to give the bookworm a good, encouraging slap on the back. If anyone could talk some sense into Lucy, it would probably be Levy! But his steps didn't even have time to falter considering Lucy's response was nearly instantaneous.

 _Trust me, Lev. That man isn't going to be telling me anything. He can't even look me in the eye. There's no way he's going to sit and have a civil conversation with me. Waiting around hoping for something that won't happen is just wasting our time._

 _Lucy._ Natsu growled her name when she'd finished her explanation. She could make anything sound reasonable and at times he couldn't stand it, especially when she was making something that he didn't like sound like a good idea.

It was then that his comrades seemed to notice the distance he'd put between them.

"Natsu!" Levy commanded in a hushed tone. "Where are you going?!"

"Where do you think?" His response was dripping with aggravation as he inched closer to the edge of the treeline, his eyes never wavering from that damned building that was too big for its own good.

Hasty footsteps approached him until a tiny hand yanked on the back of his shirt. Natsu allowed himself to be stopped, knowing full well that he could have continued walking easily but that it would probably drag Levy to the ground.

"We shouldn't go in yet." Levy said in a hurry. "Lucy should look around and see what she can find."

Natsu's head tilted slightly, as if he were going to turn around to face Levy properly, but he remained motionless after the small movement.

The small bluenette took the opportunity to finish her thought process, assuming that Natsu's stillness implied that she might actually be getting through to him. "Listen, if Lucy gets caught wandering around, it doesn't raise their suspicions about us being here. They already know that Lucy's inside, it would make sense for her to be there. But if you go in now and someone sees you, then our entire cover is blown." She paused to breathe, releasing her hold on Natsu's shirt. "She can try to find Erza and the keys. If she does, great, we know exactly where to go when we sneak in. If she doesn't and she gets caught, they'll probably just take her back to her room and her dad will probably want to demand to know how she got out. And when he does that, it'd be the perfect time to sneak in unnoticed!"

Natsu took a deep breath in through his mouth, attempting to calm himself down. Until suddenly there was another strange shift of energy in the air and a second chill ran up Natsu's spine, effectively chasing away any 'calm' he ever hoped to obtain. Something wasn't right, and Lucy was in there _alone_. Fear transformed into anger and Natsu rounded on Levy. "What, so she doesn't have to stick to her plan, but we have to stick to ours? Hell no!"

Levy jumped, startled by his sudden outburst.

"Screw that," He continued with a snarl. "I'm going in now." With that, he swiveled around once more, continuing his stormy march toward the manor.

He was almost completely out from under their cover of the trees when Levy grasped his arm, only this time, he didn't stop moving.

" _Natsu!_ " Levy shrieked with a glare.

"Oi, shrimp." Gajeel spoke up, directly beside the pair. The tiny hand was removed from Natsu's arm a second later when she was picked and pulled a few feet backwards into the trees. "Just let 'im go."

Levy struggled in his grasp. " _Gajeel_ , what-"

"No, I'm serious. Somethin' ain't right." Gajeel confessed, releasing his grip on the little mage. "The air feels kinda weird now. It didn't before."

Levy stood still once she was back on her own two feet, glancing all around them. "I don't feel anything…" She admitted solemnly.

Gray stepped forward, clapping a hand on Natsu's shoulder. "Neither do I. But it wouldn't be the first time you two have sensed something before the rest of us." When Natsu's eyes met his, Gray grinned devilishly. "Let's go. I was getting bored sittin' around here anyways."

Natsu responded with his own wicked smile before pounding his fist against Gray's.

The fire mage turned his grin elsewhere, motioning a hand forward to join him. "You comin', Happy?"

"Aye, sir!" Happy soared over to hover above Natsu's head. "If Lushi's in trouble, we have to save her!" He giggled evilly. "Just so we can hold it over her head later."

"Exactly what I was thinkin'." Natsu nodded with a smirk.

"Some of us should still stay behind. If we can stay stealthy, we should." Levy began. "You two and Happy will go, and the rest of us-"

"Juvia will go with Gray-sama too!" The water mage interrupted, appearing by Gray's side instantly.

Gray sighed, rolling his eyes. "Juvia, you-"

" _Because,_ " Juvia interrupted quickly. "Juvia can turn into water and slip in through the cracks of a window or door, and let Gray-sama and the others inside!"

Everyone stared speechlessly for a moment, surprised that her reasoning was actually valid and not just an excuse to be close to Gray.

"That…is actually a really good idea." Gray admitted, being the first to recover. He grinned down at the girl. "Nice, Juvia!"

Juvia swooned. "To receive praise from Gray-sama is a dream come true!"

 _Good news._ Lucy announced, startling everyone out of their discussion. _I just used the King's Key to get out of the library and I only feel a little tired. Like I just need a cup of coffee, nothing too crazy. Looks like the second origin definitely paid off. Thanks for that, Jellal._

Everyone turned to face Jellal, who'd been observing quietly beneath the trees. _No need for thanks,_ he responded somewhat wearily.

Levy motioned for them to get going just as Lucy spoke up again.

 _Any ideas where to look for Erza, Lev?_

While Levy answered Lucy, Natsu and the others crept out of the trees and up to the edge of the house. It took no time at all for Happy to fly up and peer through windows discretely, finding the best room to sneak into. When he decided on a window attached to an empty spare bedroom, Juvia easily slipped through the cracks until she was opening the window on the other side. Happy then lifted Gray and Natsu separately through the opening, and just like that they were inside. The foursome beamed and quietly highfived before sneaking over to the bedroom door.

With Natsu's highly tuned senses, it was simple for him to tell whether or not anyone was out in the hallway, meaning the chances of them getting caught were slim to none. He would have been extremely happy about that if he didn't open the bedroom door to find a _freaking maze of hallways_ in front of him. For the hundredth time he found himself cursing the enormity of the estate as the foursome slowly began making their way throughout the halls, taking Levy's advice to Lucy and checking every room along the way for Erza or the keys.

 _Looks like I'm going to have to go up_ , Lucy began in a disgruntled tone. Natsu perked up at the news. If she was coming up to the first floor it would only make it that much easier to find her! However, his excitement was short-lived. Lucy continued, _Erza's not in any of these roo_ _—wait. I found something._ There was a pause. _It might not be anything other than more storage, but there_ _'s a doorway hidden in the back of a coat closet. I'm going to-_

Natsu hunched forward, stopping in his tracks to cover his ears when a deafening screech of an alarm tore through the walls. His highly sensitive ears were ringing incoherently for a moment, but the voices in his mind didn't disappear.

 _What happened? Is everyone okay?!_ Lucy asked desperately

'What about _you?_ ' Natsu had wanted to ask, but Levy was already answering. _We're fine. Gajeel, Lily, Jellal, and I are still outside, and Warren is back at the rendezvous spot…but everyone else went in…Natsu wouldn't wait, he was worried, and the others-_

 _This wasn't us._ Gray interrupted quickly. _We didn't set off anything._

 _That means someone knows we're here._ Juvia finished his thought.

 _Or someone realized I'm missing._ Lucy guessed after a moment of silence. _Which means we have even less time now. I'm going down._

Fear gripped Natsu immediately. _Luce, wait! I'm coming down to the basement._ He begged, finally speaking up now that his plan was ratted out. His head turned this way and that, wondering which hall he should venture down this time. _If I could find the stupid place_. He growled. _Who needs a freakin' house this big?!_

 _Natsu, where are you guys?_ Levy asked calmly. _If you tell me where you are I can guide you down to Lucy. I memorized the blueprints of the house, remember?_

 _I don't know who to thank for that big brain of yours, Levy, but you're a lifesaver._ Natsu responded before Gray began describing their whereabouts to Levy. Now they had a chance. It took them no time at all to begin following Levy's orders through the winding hallways. She lead them easily through the maze, and Natsu silently praised her memory the entire time.

 _Okay, now we're at the fork in the halls._ Gray reported dutifully, taking over the lead of directing the others where to go. _Left or right?_

When there was no response whatsoever, Gray asked again. _Levy, which way next? You gotta focus here._

Natsu's ears perked up, twitching in a way he had been hoping to avoid. "Someone's coming." He whispered to the others while talking to Levy in his mind. _C'mon bookworm, you said you wanted us to be stealthy. That can't happen if we're caught._

"Levy's not responding to me at all." Gray turned to face Natsu.

"Responding?" Juvia tilted her head in confusion. "Has Gray-sama been trying to talk with Levy?"

"Uh, yeah, she's been giving us directions this whole time." Gray responded with a raised brow, as if it were obvious.

Natsu realized in that moment what was happening, and his heart began to race. "She means recently. As in were you just now trying to talk to Levy?"

Gray's gaze swiveled over to Natsu. "Well, yeah…why?"

Rather than responding out loud, Natsu responded in his mind. _Hey, droopy eyes!_

Gray kept staring at Natsu without even the tiniest bit of recognition.

"I'm guessin' you didn't hear that?" Natsu asked.

Gray and Juvia exchanged a look. "Hear what?"

Natsu groaned at Gray's response. It confirmed his theory in an instant, and for once he wasn't happy about being right. "Our connection is gone. We can't communicate telepathically anymore." Natsu informed the others as he ran an agitated hand through his hair.

Gray's eyes widened when the realization struck him. "Fuck."

Juvia worriedly looked up from the ground. "But why would Warren cut the connection…Juvia is worried that…" Her words died off, but everyone knew where they were going without her having to say it anyway.

Warren wouldn't break the connection with everyone unless he had been found. And even then, it was a mental connection…It was likely that he had been knocked out in order for the connection to break, considering outsiders shouldn't even know about it in the first place.

"Okay…" Gray began, the wheels in his head turning as fast as they could. "Looks like we're on our own from here. We have to trust that the others made the same conclusion we did. They'll probably go check on Warren, since they're still outside. Which means we should stay in here to find Lucy and Erza. Plus, we have to get Luce's mom and Loke out."

"Right." Natsu and Juvia agreed immediately.

"Aye." Happy's voice shook, but Natsu knew he wasn't going anywhere. The feline may have been worse at hiding his fear, but he'd never turn his tail and run away when their friends were in danger.

Determined to rescue their comrades, the group rotated forward, ready to continue moving. However, not one of them took even a single step.

"Well, hello."

Natsu's eyes narrowed to slits when the stranger's voice resonated through his memory. He knew that arrogant tone. He'd made sure to engrave it into his mind, and therefore he could recall the night he'd first heard it instantly. The sadistic voice belonging to the man that had blown up the lighthouse all those nights ago. The very same night that Natsu threw himself and Lucy out the window of the lighthouse. Which meant the stranger they were looking at was none other than Jackal. The man who'd attempted to murder Lucy.

He had a wild appearance overall; a head full of blonde hair, sporting two furry ears, a small black nose similar to that of a canine's, and strange dark markings surrounding his left eye, as well as a swishing furry tail matching the color of his hair. Stranger yet were his hands, completely black until his forearms where the black faded off in the shape of more of those strange dark markings. He appeared animalistic, just as his name suggested, but Natsu didn't need to see him to know that. In fact, all it would take for anyone to realize this man was trouble was the expression he wore.

Natsu positioned himself into a fighting stance without even realizing it, a snarl fresh on his lips. The others followed suite, noticing Natsu's precaution immediately.

Jackal smirked, rolling his head back as if he was observing them. He pointed to the ceiling and everyone took a precautious step back, making him smirk even wider. "It appears we have some intruders. That wouldn't happen to be you guys, would it?" Before anyone even had a chance to answer, Jackal barked out a maniacal laugh. "Because that would mean it's my lucky day."

" _You._ " Natsu growled.

Gray glanced at his comrade out of the corner of his eye. "You know him?"

Natsu merely nodded, never once taking his eyes off the man before him.

"Huh?" Jackal's head tilted with a morbid curiousity. "Have we met?"

Natsu didn't answer, choosing to continue glaring viciously instead.

Jackal held his eyes for only a moment before shrugging, his curiousity over the matter fizzling just like that. "Ah, well. You humans all look the same to me." He grinned, revealing a mouth full of sharp incisors. "And you don't have to worry, we _won't_ be meeting again."

"'Humans'? What do you mean by that? Who are you?" Gray pushed, clearly not frightened by Jackal's supposed threat.

His grin stretched. "Me? Why, I'm glad you asked." His arms widened as he introduced himself with confidence. "The name's Jackal. One of the nine demon gates of Tartaros. And the one that's going to send you all straight to hell!"

That was when Natsu heard the first scream. It came from down below, only faintly reaching his ears, meaning the others probably didn't hear a thing. But he knew what he heard, and he knew who it belonged to. His eyes widened and his face paled, fear gripping him in a vice once more.

Jackal took in his expression as if it were a precious treat. "That's it, that's the fear I yearn to see on my victi-"

"Lucy's screaming from somewhere below us." Natsu interrupted to inform Gray and Juvia what he was hearing. "She's in trouble. I need to get down there."

Jackal grumbled. "You really shouldn't interrupt people you know…especially not when they're about to kil-"

"Go. We got this guy." Gray responded immediately, cutting off the furious Jackal for the second time. "He seems like a lot of talk anyway."

Jackal's ears twitched in anger. "You're going to regret underestimat-"

"Juvia is worried about Lucy. Natsu should move fast to get to her." Juvia said while getting in position beside Gray, standing back to back. "Juvia and Gray-sama will handle it here."

"THAT'S IT!" Jackal snapped in outrage. "I will not be interrupted aga-"

"C'mon, Happy!" Natsu called as Happy lifted him into the air. "We're going straight down!"

"Aye, sir!"

Natsu called one last thing out to Gray and Juvia before blasting a hole into the floor and diving into the level below them. "He creates explosions. Don't let your guard down! And don't lose. I really wanted to kick this guy's ass myself!"

Gray smirked, casting his shirt off to the side to be forgotten. "Got it."

OoOoOoO

Well beneath the ground of the Heartfilia estate, hidden in a secret dungeon-esque room, Lucy found herself in a state of emergency. She had barely enough time to conceal her necklace of keys by tucking them into her shirt before she was savagely yanked backwards by the hair on head.

Tears sprung to her eyes as she toppled to the ground, scraping her hands against the rough stone floor in the process. Without allowing the stranger any time to attack her once more, she quickly pressed her hand to her chest, where she knew the King's Key was hidden, and teleported out of harms way. Her heart was pounding in her chest, her blood pumping in a way that made her deaf to the rest of the world.

"Shit." She murmured when she realized where she'd reappeared, stumbling when her feet hit the uneven ground. In her desperation to flee from the danger, her mind hadn't been solely focused on the location she'd meant to teleport herself to, and she found herself at the top of the damp stairwell rather than outside the coat closet like she'd originally intended.

Instead of teleporting again, figuring she should conserve as much power as possible given the circumstances, she hastily fumbled for the door handle that kept her separated from her escape of the dungeon room. She had to get out of there fast. She had to find Natsu. She had to get help for Erza!

Her sweaty palms slipped and pulled, struggling with all of her strength to open the door, only to realize belatedly with dread that the door had been locked. And she was trapped on the inside.

One last desperate attempt to the mind, she pleaded over the broken connection. _Someone's here!_ She mentally screamed. _It's Tart-_

Her very thought was cut off when she was once more pulled backwards, this time much more violently. She didn't have the chance to catch herself before her ankle rolled out from under her and she tumbled down the stone steps, landing in a heap at the bottom.

Adrenaline hid most of her pain, aside from a dull throb in her ankle, and without missing a beat she pulled herself up and quickly crawled toward the nearest wall. Her instincts were taking over, and her body pressed itself up against the brick, avoiding the the opportunity for the stranger she has yet to see to sneak up from behind her again.

Her body was shaking, violent waves of fear coursing over her by the second. The amount of dark energy she felt emanating from the person approaching her was unlike anything she'd ever sensed before. She had half a mind to say power conservation be damned, and teleport herself out of there immediately. But right before she lifted her hand to the key, another idea popped into her mind.

She had a means of escape at any moment, right? No matter how terrified she was at the time being, she could get out if she focused hard enough while using the King's Key. So instead of fleeing immediately, she should use the opportunity to find out what she can about her enemy. After all, it was so dark, she hadn't even been able to get a good look at who was attacking her. Knowing what they looked like would be valuable information for her to give to Natsu. And who knows, maybe she could even get them to talk? Trick them into revealing some sort of intel on Tartaros's plans.

Lucy's eyes narrowed, determined and focused despite her fear. She could just barely make out the form of a woman slowly sauntering over to her, like a cat stalking its prey. The darkness of the room made it harder for the celestial mage's eyes to adjust and focus on the figure until the person was standing right in front of her.

When the person kneeled before her, Lucy was finally able to make out some features. The stranger was definitely a woman, clearly not at all afraid to show off the parts that physically identify herself as such. Her face was mostly hidden, adorned by an intricate helmet with two large feathered-wing-like pieces protruding from the sides, centered with a large purple crystal above her forehead. Her eyes stood out the most to Lucy, above everything else. They were filled with hunger, a hunger that could only be sated with suffering.

Momentarily Lucy was lost in those eyes, struggling to get the words she'd intended to out. "Wh-who are you? W-What do you want with me?"

There was a flash in the woman's piercing blue orbs. "O-ho? It seems I should be asking you that, seeing as you are the one intruding in _my_ playroom."

Lucy's stomach dropped, her mouth turning acidic with the urge to throw up. _Playroom?_ This woman, whoever she was, had clearly been torturing Erza in ways Lucy couldn't imagine. And she was sadistic enough to enjoy it all and deem it as some sort of 'play'.

"More importantly," the female continued. "That magic you just used was not…normal." Her head tilted out of curiousity. "It was unlike any magic I'd ever felt before." She purred.

The woman leaned in closer to Lucy's face, who backed up instinctively only to hit her head against the brick wall she was already pressed against.

"Perhaps I've just been brought a new toy, hmm?" The stranger smiled, causing an intense shiver to crawl up Lucy's spine. "This other one," she nodded her head in Erza's general direction, "is a bit worn, to say the least."

Lucy's blood ran cold at the confirmation of her fears about Erza being tortured, and the insinuation that _she_ was next. Absolutely not! Her eyes narrowed. She was not going to let anything else happen to Erza, or herself. She'd gotten what she needed from the woman, now she just needed to go find Natsu.

Her hand slowly lifted, raising to her chest where the King's Key was safely nestled away. So far, so good. The woman didn't seem suspicious of Lucy's movements at all, probably just assuming Lucy was lifting her hand to cover her racing heart. The blonde was positive that she was about to teleport away, right in front of this woman's demonic gaze.

Until that gaze zeroed in on Lucy's hand, _really_ noticing it for the first time.

In a flash, Lucy's wrist was tightly secured in the woman's grip. "This mark…I see." The woman squeezed with an uncomfortable amount of strength, causing Lucy to squirm. "You're from the same guild as that woman, hm?" A mirthless laugh bubbled up. "And you thought _you_ could rescue her? Ha!" Her head tilted back as more laughter escaped her lungs. "At least the redhead had some fire in her, some strength to fight me back. What's a little meek thing like you expect to accomplish coming down here _alone?_ Did you truly believe that _you_ could take _me_ on?"

Any hope Lucy had of responding was dashed by the amount of pain she was feeling in her wrist. Surely her bone was going to snap at any minute. There was no other explanation for the pain that kept on building and building, just from the grip of this woman's hand. Lucy's forehead began to sweat as she tugged on her wrist hoping to free herself, but with each movement the pain only built. How was this possible, to hold so much strength in the grip of a hand? Something didn't seem right.

"Well, no matter." The woman began once her laughter died off. She finally released Lucy's hand, to which the blonde slumped forward with relief, her breath hitched and heavy. "I'll just have some fun finding out which one of you screams the loudest."

Lucy lurched up, straightening herself enough to glare at the dastardly being before her. "I don't know what kind of twisted person finds enjoyment out of this, but I swear to you…you will regret ever laying a finger on my friend." Lucy's body shook with fear, but the rage inside her outweighed it by far. "And you will _never_ hear me scream." She spat with venom.

The woman barked out one last small laugh. "You poor little human..." She smiled, lifting her hand once more as if she were going to gently cup Lucy's cheek. "Oh, how wrong you are."

A single finger was all it took, the lightest graze against Lucy's skin. Except it wasn't light at all, how could it have been? Not when it felt as though the flesh of her face had been viciously slashed open, ripping the skin from her cheekbones. There was no possible way the woman had only grazed her. And there was no possible way Lucy could hold herself back…the scream involuntarily tore through her vocal chords, ringing out into the darkness.

* * *

 **Welp, that was a doozy! It was hard for me to write...but can you imagine the pain Lucy and Erza had to go through? I'm sure most of you have figured out by now who's in the room with Lucy! Though I haven't officially said her name yet in the story, so I won't say it just in case we have some newbies (I mean that in the most wonderful way, welcome to the fandom!) reading that aren't to the Tartaros arc yet!**

 **But to those who are fully aware of what's going on, could you imagine having your sense of pain heightened to that sort of extreme? Even the breeze from the wind brushing against your skin would be unbearable!**

 **Jackal has returned! What did you think of his character? (ehh, prick...but one of my fav from Tartaros!)**

 **Why do you guys think Warren's mental connection was cut? Who set off the alarms? What's happening with Jellal, Levy, and Gajeel? And does Fairy Tail have a chance of coming out of this all in one piece? Muahahaha, we'll see!**

 **I'd love to hear your thoughts!**

 **Sorry it was a little rough. The next one will be even more so, just to give a heads up. But we'll get through it together!**

 **carnatiously : WHOA! You reviewed so fast within the update and that's freakin AWESOME! Thank you for saying that the chapters aren't too long. I always get nervous about throwing too much at the reader at once! hehehe, and I'm glad that you feel like you need more! Leaving someone with the desire for more is the goal! And it feels good to know that I'm meeting it! I hope I continue to! Ahhhh, suspense and cliffhangers go hand in hand...I can't wait to give you more! ;) Thank you so much for reviewing!  
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 **SulliMike23 : Ahhh, hi again! Sorry for such a long break:( But you are always so spot on about your predictions! Your guess about Jude...well, I can't say much yet, but...good job! *thumbs up* And Tartaros has definitely made their appearance now! Uh oh! I hope you're doing well! Thank you for reviewing as always:)  
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 **Litty : Love and hate are both things I want to make people feel, hehe, so mission accomplished! Cliffhangers are a doozy, aren't they?! Hahaha, they're fun to write but terrribleeeee to read! Ohhh, the anticipation! Just wait until next week's chapter...talk about rough. Thank you for the advice on making this one long fic! I appreciate it! And I appreciate you reading and reviewing! Thank you so much!  
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 **Fin-Fish Jun-Tenshi : Hi there! First off, I love that your first review was just simply 'whoa.' Hahaha, I'd say that's a pretty good reaction! I'm glad you're enjoying it! And you're actually the very first person to ever as me about Lisanna! It's actually pretty embarrassing, haha! I didn't realize until halfway through writing this story that I'd completely forgotten about Lisanna! It's not that I dislike her or anything! I actually think she's a super sweet character. I just completely forgot to write her into the story! T^T And then I felt like it was too like to just add her in...I guess I could rewrite a few things, but that would mean going back and making changes that would probably confuse some people..but thank you for asking! That's a first! And wow, you reread my story!? That's incredible! Holy cow! Thank you! I'm so happy~!  
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 **FairyTailLover04 : Ahhh, thank you for reviewing! Hahaha, I feel like I need more too, so I'll just have to keep writing and writing and writing! Maybe it will never end O.O hehehe. Thank you for the advice on making this into one long fic! I appreciate it! And I appreciate you! Happy reading! ^-^  
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 **SleepinBeautyK : Ahh, hello hello! Thank you for reviewing again, it's always so good to hear from you! Ahhh, good guess on who was behind Lucy! You guessed a couple different people, one of which was correct! Jackal was one of your guesses, and although he wasn't behind Lucy he _was_ in this latest chapter! So good call on him!:D Also, I really loved your guess about the room nullifying magic! Super cool guess! I hope to hear from you again, and thank you so much for reviewing! I love hearing your thoughts!  
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 **Superfreakerz : Ahhh, wow! Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! I always am so blown away when people post multiple reviews, chapter to chapter! Considering that usually means that the reader had something to say and cared enough to say it after each chapter! That makes me so happy, and I'm very thankful to you for all of your kind words! To reply to some of the things you said in previous chapters, I love Loke too! He's my favorite spirit for sure! Hehe, such a little heart breaker, but so caring at the same time! Thank you for saying that they're in character! I really enjoy writing every single one of the characters! They're so amazing, it's almost like they write themselves! Haha, I forgot about the birthday party! That was a fun chapter:p GOSH I LOVE THE NALU! Whoa...the fact that you said you hadn't read a fic in a while because you've been bored with them, and yet you're here reading mine...wow! I just can't wrap my head around that! That's an incredible feeling, and thank you so much for bringing it to me! You rock, and I hope you continue to enjoy! I'll work hard not to disappoint!  
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 **Asuraider : EEEEP! Hehehe, you indeed guessed correctly, as I'm sure you were already aware of! And I'm sure you've also got a pretty good idea of what's about to happen to Lucy...Ahh, it was hard to write! But it'll be over soon! Somehow...thank you so much for reading and reviewing!  
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 **ThayetJade : AHhh, I can't believe we're up to this many chapters honestly! It still kind of shocks me! AHHHH, DING DING, you obviously guessed correctly about who was behind Lucy, as I'm sure you're definitely positive of now!:D Good job! Now how is she going to get herself and Erza out of this one? O.O  
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 **sarara1.8 : Ahhh, thank you for reviewing! I hope you're well, and I hope you enjoyed this latest chapter! Well, as much as you could all things considered...poor Lucy!  
**

 **calypso tchaka : HIII! It's so good to hear from you again! And wow, I absolutely adored your review! haha, I love how it originally started out as a message, and then transformed into a review as you gathered your thoughts! It was like I was getting to watch you formulate your thoughts and opinions on it! Gosh, thank you so much for all the compliments! I can't ever properly explain how much they mean to me! It makes me feel like I can do anything! Haha! Ahh, I'm glad you liked the whole dungeon aspect so far. And Natsu's reaction to the smog of the city when they traveled to Earthland! I loved that idea! Ahaha, you're so cute! "I'm on a roll, screw it!" Ahahaha, I was laughing so hard while reading your review, it was awesome! _You're_ awesome! Ahhh, wow! You brought up so many things that I forgot about that I really enjoyed writing! The enchanted water was one of my favorite scenes! And OHHH LEO IS ONES OF MY FAVSSSS! Oh dear, when Natsu moved Lucy in...ah, they're so precious and I can't ever get enough! Oh, dear, we're on that boat together, no doubt about it! Can our seats be next to each other?! Ahh, Jude being a zombie is actually a really good guess, even if it wasn't a serious one, haha! Ahh, poor Erza, she's been going through it pretty terribly...her situation is pretty messed up and creepy, I agree! Even though I'm writing it O.O I hope you enjoyed this chapter, even though it ended with a bit of another cliffhanger! I aleady have the next one all planned out and it should be up within a few days! Gosh, I can't thank you enough for yet another astonishing review! You've blown me away with happiness, thank you to the moon and back! You rockkk! Many hugs and warm regards to you as well! Oh, and before I forget! I haven't heard of idevourbooks! But now that you've recommended them to me, I'll HAVE to check them out! And thank you for the advice on keeping the story as one long story rather than a sequel!  
**

 **peacerockgirl123 : AHHHHH, HELLLOOOOO AGAINNNN! Ahhh ah ahhhh, I finally watched Dragon Cry, finallyyyyy...and let me just say...the NaLu is REAL! AH! Have you seen it yet?! And...it happened...Fairy Tail ended...I still feel very sad when I think about it, but I look forward to Mashima-sensei's next works, and of course the future projects for Fairy Tail! I know there is more to come! Plus, it ended off in a way that made it possible for the fanartists and writers to keep the adventure alive! Ahhh, so sorry for the cliffhanger! OR AM I!? Natsu does need to hurrryyyyyyy, doesn't he?! AHh, hopefully he's not too late O.O HURRYYY NATSU *waves my fists in the air with you*  
**

 **AnimaMagic : Ahhhh, wow! Thank you so much for the awesome review! It's hard to describe how happy that makes me! I'm glad you found this story, and I'm so glad that you're enjoying it so far! I hope you continue to find it entertaining, and I'm looking forward to hearing from you again! And about who's behind Lucy...figured it out yet?:D  
**

 **arcadea333 : AHh, hiiii! It's so good to hear from you again!:D I hope you're doing well! And thank you so much for your advice one making this story one big one rather than making a sequel! I appreciate hearing from you and your opinion!  
**

 **FairyTail9908 : AHhhhhh, hello! Welcome aboard! I'm so happy to hear that someone was intrigued enough to binge read this story! That's a pretty amazing feeling, incomparable to anything else! And to hear that you love their relationship! I adore writing Natsu and Lucy, and think I plan on writing for them for a long time to come! Thank you again, you rock, and I hope you continue to enjoy!  
**

 **T3amD0bby : Wow, thank you so much! To hear from someone who doesn't often review is a pretty good feeling, because something about the story made them come forward and review when they usually don't! And that's really awesome, so thank you for saying that! And thanks a bunch for the advice on moving on with the story and making it one big one rather than doing a sequel! I appreciate the advice!  
**

 **Darlene : Hiiiiiii, Darlene! Oh, how I've missed you! Hahaha, it's okay that you still don't have one! Because you still get to read stories and be on here, so it all works out! Ahhhh, they are finally ready to confess their feelings to each other and it makes me so happy! They've finally reached this point, and I'm so excited to write it, but of course some things had to get in their way to make this mission go wrong...ahh, poor little NaLu babiesss! OH my goodness, how behind are you in the manga?! Ahh, it just finished and I've been so distraught over it, haha. Although I understand how college can take up a lot of your spare time! I feel like I didn't hardly have time for anything when I was in school! You'll have to let me know when you read all of it so we can cry togetherrrr, haha. *holds you tight while crying* (hehe, I stole that from your last review) Ahh, gosh, you're so cute and so sweet and ahhh, I'm glad we met! Or, well, you know what I mean! hehehe, I hope life has been treating you well! Until next time~ ^_^  
**

 **FireShifter : Helllooooooooo thereeeee! First off, thank you so much for your concern about my absence! I really can't tell you how much I appreciated that. And secondly, sorry for such a long break! I'd never intended for that to happen..however, I'm truly excited to hear about what you think! And as for your last review you made, I agree with you on Jude's behavior being atrocious! Gahh, it made me mad just writing it, haha. Lucy finding Layla finally happened! They've been seperated for so long! I only wish I could say that Lucy and Erza's reunion had been a little better, but ehh, it will all work out, maybe, hopefully, ahhh, I don't know anymore! Orrrr, I guess I do:) You guessed about the mysterious person behind Lucy being a member of Tartaros, which is corrrectttt! But not Jackal. Although he does reappear in this chapter again! Who's your favorite Tartaros character? I'm curious! OHOHOH, I saw Dragon Cry! Finallyyyy! Did you get to see it yet?! Ah, thank you for the advice on making the story one long one, I appreciate that! In fact, thank you for just being you!:D You rockkk!  
**

 **The Age of Awesomeness : Ahhh, hello again! Never apologize for a late review, because all reviews are an extreme joy, no matter when they're made! In fact, I should be the one apologizing for the long break between chapters! T^T I'm sorryyy! Thank you for always reading! And thank you for your advice on making this story one big fic! I appreciate it!  
**

 **Guest : Ahhh, wow, thank you kind stranger! I'm so glad you found enjoyment in it and thank you so much for the review! I appreciate it to no ends! And never fear, I definitely plan on continuing! I hope you plan to as well:)  
**

 **Moon Stone Tiger : Wow, wow, wow! It always amazes me when I get multiple reviews in a row! Because I know it means that each chapter left you with something to say afterwards, and that's just incredible! Thank you so much for the reviews, and I sincerely hope that you continue to enjoy the story! It's strange going back and looking at the early on chapters because I feel like my writing has improved, so I hope it only gets better from here! Thanks for reading and I look forward to hearing from you again!  
**

 **SunBinamra : Muahahahaha, cliffhangers are definitely evil! They're usually the bane of my existence, so I can imagine how you felt! Whaaaa, that makes me feel bad for going on a break for so long! Ahhhh. But woo! We're back! And ending with another cliffy, ahh, oops...just wait until next week's cliffhanger though O.O gosh, I think it will be one of the worst ones I'll ever write...but SO WORTH IT, YOU'LL SEE! Ahhh, thank you so much for reviewing, and I can't tell you how happy I am that you enjoyed this story so far! Wow! And thank you so much for the advice on making this story one long one rather than a sequel!  
**

 **AlyssaChan24 : AHHhhhhHHHH, I think you're the person who reblogged one of my drawings on tumblr and wrote these tags about this fic that MADE ME SO HAPPY I COULD DIE! Wow, thank you so much! AHhh, and you binged reading it! That's so amazing! Wow, I'm so happy knowing that someone can sit down and read this from start to finish! It means you truly found enjoyment in it, and I can't even describe how that makes me feel! Gosh, the NaLu feels are real, man! They're just sooo precious! They're my favorite thing in the world, haha! Thank you for saying that you enjoy the way I write their relationship! And thank you for the advice about making this one big story! You rockkk!  
**

 **arleenbarros : Oh wow, I don't know that I've ever received such a wonderful compliment! I always worry over the pace and development of the story, so I truly appreciate hearing that! Ahhh, it's always a joy to hear that I'm doing Natsu and Lucy's relationship justice! I've never been moved so much by a pairing before that I've actually wanted to write an entire fic, so this means a lot to me to hear! Thank you so much! I love that you binge read it all! That's actually pretty amazing, I just went back recently to reread over it just to do some fact checks and see my progress, and it took a bit! Wow, thank you again! You made me incredibly happy! And thank you for the advice about making it one big fic! I appreciate it very much!**

 **Holy glob, you guys, that was incredible! I've never gotten that many reviews on one chapter before! My mind is blown and my heart is soaring! Thank you so much for seeing this story through, and for all of the kind words I've received along the ride!**

 **A lot of you gave me advice on whether or not to continue this story and start a sequel, and I've considered it all! I'll definitely be making it into one giant fic, no matter how long it gets! I have the ending already in mind, but the journey to get there will be long! I hope you're all up for the adventure with me! Thank you all for the advice!**

 **You guys rock so much! I can't wait to hear from you again!**

 **All my best,**

 **-Mac**

 **xoxoxoxo**


	37. The Time to Tell

**Phew! This one was long! And geez, it took a lot out of me...Gah, some parts were really hard to write, and then even harder to go back and read/edit! Yikes, sorry about that. Buttt, the ending...hmm, well, you'll see;P**

 **Anywho, GUYS! This story is over 200K words! Can you believe it?! What the heck, I don't even feel like it's possible that I wrote that much! Wow! It's all possible because of you guys, so thank you!**

 **Also, two updates in one week?! Holy cow! Did that actually happen!? Whaaaat?**

 **Now, let's get to it, shall we?**

 _ ***Warnings for violence, language, and graphic/disturbing scenes and imagery***_

 **If you feel any of these things may make you uncomfortable in any way, skip this chapter. Message me and I'll tell you the gist of what happened!**

* * *

Before the scream had even reached its end, Lucy was knocked to side with such force that unconsciousness threatened to pull her under. And that was _before_ the pain could even begin to sink in. Once it hit her, she found herself silently wishing for the veil of darkness to drift over her. However, her head rang with an intensity that would never allow such a thing, and an intense urge to vomit filled her as bile traveled up her esophagus.

Swallowing it down, Lucy pushed through the pain to the best of her ability. Her head swam while she tried to regain focus and pull herself into an upright position. _Away_ , she thought, _you have to get away._ That was the only chance she'd have of using the King's Key, by putting some distance between herself and her attacker. Her arms feebly worked, shaking from exertion as they attempted to drag her body across the floor.

But her efforts were futile, seeing as the next instant she was yanked upwards by her hair. She'd already been dragged around by her hair twice before this moment, but there was absolutely no comparison from those times and now. As she was lifted into the air by nothing but the hair on her head, each hair follicle stung as though a syringe had been shoved deep into her skull.

"Louder." Her assailant grinned, but the word was lost on Lucy as a second scream ripped through her throat and her hands scraped at the fingers that held her hair prisoner. "I suggest you scream louder before I rip out your-"

" _Kyoka!_ "

Lucy only barely registered the new voice as she was dropped to the ground. Although she only fell a foot or so, it was as though every bone in her body shattered on impact. Another scream, though this time it didn't reach her own ears. If she didn't feel her throat aching, she would have had no idea she'd even screamed.

"What, _human?_ " The woman, Kyoka, spat the word with disgust. "For your sake I hope you have a good reason for interrupting my fun."  
"That is my _daughter!_ " The newcomer screamed, and Lucy realized in a haze that it must have been Jude's voice she was now hearing.

" _And?_ " Kyoka's tone implied she had not a care in the world, bored with the controversial matter as she reached down for Lucy once more.

"You _know_ the rule! She's the one he's been looking for!" Jude snapped back with a commanding authority, but Lucy caught the ever-so-faint tremor in his voice.

Kyoka stilled her hand. " _This_ is the girl?" She asked incredulously. There was a pause. "I suppose that would explain the strange magic I felt earlier…"

Lucy was once again pulled up, this time to eye level with Kyoka. She struggled uselessly, groaning from the pain.

"Stop that wretched curse at once. Return her to normal." Jude irately insisted.

There was a snap, and the lights in the room flickered on, momentarily blinding Lucy who had adjusted to the darkness. As her eyesight familiarized itself to the light, her pain significantly decreased. In almost an instant it was nearly nonexistent, aside from the irritation of her scalp, mild compared the raging torture she'd just previously been through.

Lucy blinked, finding herself face to face with Kyoka and truly seeing her for the first time. The woman's gaze was sadistic as she drank in Lucy's pained expression.

"I see…" She said with an evil smile. Then she leaned in close to Lucy, whispering in her ear. "For the record, your screams were much more fun. Hopefully we'll meet again, _Lucy_."

The sound of her name set the hairs on the back of her neck on edge, but before Lucy could dwell on how Kyoka knew her, she was tossed roughly to the ground.

"Is that necessary?" Jude asked in a somewhat uncaring tone. "You know his majesty does not enjoy viol-"

"Silence!" Kyoka barked, rounding on Jude. "You know _nothing_." She snarled before a fiendish smile graced her lips. "You have _no idea_ what he has in store for you all."

Lucy remained silent, massaging her scalp and observing the two as they argued. His majesty? Her brows pulled together. Who could they be talking about? Surely not the King of Fiore? The blonde fretted. There was no way he was also caught up with Tartaros, _right?_

Jude blanched. However, after a second's pause, he cleared his throat, straightening his tie simultaneously. "Well. Be that as it may, his views on acts of violence were clear. Need I remind you that this room is currently a secret?" Jude's eyes flashed. "I can make sure that the black mage is made aware of its existence."

Black mage…that was a name Lucy recognized. So their conversation…it was pertaining to Zeref? Lucy straightened, paying close attention. This could all be valuable information, she couldn't afford to miss a single word.

Kyoka's eyes narrowed, the blackmail clearly getting under her skin. "No need." She seethed between clenched teeth. Her gaze connected with Lucy's intent stare and it was as though Kyoka could see right through her. The woman took a deep breath, regaining her composure almost effortlessly.

"Well, you know what to do with her, human." Kyoka glanced at Jude with indifference. "Keep a better eye on your _things_." Her pupils dilated with excitement from her following threat. "Next time one of them comes snooping around down here, I can guarantee you won't make it in time to save them."

Jude tsked, otherwise staying completely still, not even bothering to help Lucy to her feet.

"Now leave me." Kyoka waved her hand in dismissal, turning to face Erza in the far off corner. She ambled over to the limp form chained to the walls and, with a smile, delicately stroked the underneath of Erza's chin.

The redhead's eyes snapped open immediately, a scream of agony escaping from the mere stroke.

Lucy's field of vision narrowed until all she saw was Kyoka, and her body rose from the ground. Suddenly her feet were moving of their own accord, another scream mingling in tune with Erza's, only this one a scream of rage.

Lucy launched herself into the air, angling her body in order to tackle Kyoka to the floor. However, right before the two could collide together Kyoka swiftly twirled and kicked Lucy midair.

The world turned sideways as she was propelled headfirst into the nearest concrete wall. A loud crack was the last thing Lucy remembered coherently hearing before landing in a limp heap on the floor.

Muffled sounds teased her ears, but the only thing she was able to definitely make out was a deafening ringing in her head.

Her surroundings began fading in and out of focus, and Lucy's body twitched on the cold concrete. _No, no, stay awake_ , she begged herself. _You have to stay awake!_

Blurry images filled her view, flicking off and on, causing her confusion. Kyoka's horrifying smile, then dark emptiness. Erza thrashing against her chains, screaming words Lucy couldn't comprehend. Her eyes seemed to be helplessly pleading with Lucy.

She wanted to form words, to tell Erza that she didn't understand, but her mouth wouldn't obey her wishes.

Her vision faded once more.

Next was her father's face. He was angry, yelling. But at her? Or Kyoka? She didn't get the chance to find out before dark spots clouded her vision again, until she saw nothing but black. That was the last Lucy saw of Kyoka's hidden playroom.

Jude kneeled on the ground, examining Lucy's head with soft fingertips.

"You could have killed her." He spat.

Kyoka shrugged. "So? You could have then easily taken what we need from her, and your work for us would be nearly over."

"At the expense of my child's life?!" Jude screamed, losing his composure.

Kyoka moved fast, appearing in front of Jude in a flash. "Suddenly you _care_ about your child's life?" Her eyes bored into his. "Is emotion starting to cloud your judgment, human?" Her glare intensified. "If so, _I_ can take her-"

Jude swatted her away. "I assure you that won't be necessary." He lifted Lucy into his arms with a look of slight annoyance. "If you're done jabbering nonsense, I assume you heard the alarm? We have intruders. Deal with them." He commanded.

Kyoka remained motionless for a second, weighing her options. "With pleasure." She responded after a moment's silence.

Without another word, she turned tail and disappeared up the stairs, flicking off the lights as she went.

Now alone in the dungeon, Jude let out a winded breath. He reluctantly glanced down at the girl in his arms, eyebrows pinched together as he took in her matted hair and wounds.

"Why couldn't you have just stayed put?" He sighed in a whisper.

After one full minute, Jude shook his head. His feet then briskly carried himself and Lucy out of the hidden room, leaving Erza's unconscious form alone in the dark once more.

OoOoOoO

Natsu vanished into the hole he blasted into the floor, leaving Gray and Juvia alone with an infuriated Jackal.

"That _bastard_." Jackal clenched his fists, glaring daggers into the spot he'd last seen Natsu. Gray stepped into his field of vision, effectively cutting off Jackal's view of the opening in the ground. His eyes drifted up to Gray's determined stare before moving up to the ceiling. "Kyoka's going to _literally_ kill me if that human actually finds her playroom and interrupts her." Jackal sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I wonder how she'd do it this time…"

Gray and Juvia watched silently as the man before them seemed to have a conversation with himself aloud rather than inside the comfort of his own head. Gray, however, couldn't help thinking that this guy, Jackal, was acting way too calm while contemplating his own death. And did he say _this_ _time?_ As in _plural?_ What was that supposed to mean anyway?

Jackal shook off his thought with a grin. "Nah, no use worrying about that." His grin turned dark as his eyes connected once more with Gray's. "'Cause he won't get the chance. I'll just kill you two quickly and find your little friend before he finds her."

Gray and Juvia share a brief glance and nod.

"I think you're the one underestimating us this time." Gray declared, taking his position beside Juvia—or, well, _slightly_ in front of her, but who was really paying attention to those small details, hm?—and connecting his one closed fist to his other open palm. "Juvia, let's end this and go help Natsu."

"Yes, Gray-sama!" She agreed with narrowed eyes. "Juvia will not go easy on anyone who threatens her Gray-sama's life!"

Jackal smirked. "Oh? What have we here?" His head tilted as he scrutinized the pair before him. "A couple of love birds fighting side by side?" He grinned widely, his fingers flexing out.

Gray paled while Juvia's eyes lit up. "Er, we're, uh, not-"

Jackal delightfully smiled, a bit too happy to be the one interrupting them this time. "That will just make it all the more beautiful when you two die together." He flicked his wrist forward, finishing his speech. "I'll see you in hell, you bastards!"

A moment before he'd even finished speaking, an explosion ripped through the air, shaking the walls of the manor. Jackal laughed as smoke filled the hall, gleeful with his sneaky work. They probably didn't even see it coming! The fools…But that only made Jackal all the happier. He'd never been one for fighting fair, and he sure wasn't about to start now.

However, his maniacal laughter soon disappeared along with the thinning wisps of left behind fumes, revealing a dome-shaped barrier of both ice and water protecting Gray and Juvia safely inside.

Gray smiled crookedly. "Looks like we're on the same page. Nice one, Juvia."

Juvia returned his smile, though she didn't take her eyes off of the enemy. "Juvia will protect Gray-sama. Go!"

Gray nodded. "Right!" An opening was made in the barrier in order for Gray to bolt out before closing once more.

The moment Gray was exposed, Jackal flicked his wrist again, throwing another bomb his way. However, true to her word, Juvia's water quickly enveloped Gray's body and carried him into the air, out of harms way. He grinned when he saw Jackal's look of disbelief as he came out of the explosion's smoke unscathed.

The second he was on his feet again, Gray ran toward Jackal, keeping his body low to the ground. _He makes explosions_ , the ice mage calculated as he ran. _Meaning I should attack him head on rather than at a distance._ If Gray got close enough to engage in hand-to-hand combat, then Jackal wouldn't be able to set off his explosions, right? Or else he'd harm himself as well!

Jackal threw another blast at him, followed by another right after. Making his decision quickly, Gray leapt into the air, dodging the bombs thrown at him. He kicked off the wall, projecting himself straight toward Jackal.

"Ice make: Sword!" An ornate, beautiful sword of ice manifested in his hands just in time to swing down on a very surprised Jackal.

The shocked opponent gathered his wits at the last second, moving to the side just in time to avoid most of the impact. However, the ice blade still managed to just barely slice his cheek, leaving a trail of blood in its wake.

Gray landed gracefully by tucking and rolling, twisting around immediately once on his feet, now on the opposite side of Jackal.

The blonde enemy reached up to touch his cheek, astonished when he pulled his fingers away to reveal the bright red liquid on their tips. "Wow, I'm impressed." Jackal said genuinely, not at all bothered by the fact he was bleeding. "No human has drawn blood from me in centuries. Good job."

Gray lifted a brow. Was he really being complimented by an opponent…for injuring said opponent?

"Too bad for you though." Jackal continued, licking at his blood-stained fingertips with a knowing smile. "I don't _just_ throw explosions."

Gray's forehead crinkled in confusion, unaware of the sword in his hands beginning to glow.

Juvia, on the other side of Jackal, knew something was off. A tingle ran up her spine right as she noticed the luminescence the object had taken on. Her eyes widened with fear. "Gray-sama, your sword!"

Gray looked down, eyes widening to match Juvia's. With not a moment to spare, Gray thrust the ice creation away from him, but not quite fast enough to put some distance between himself and the blast. Fire erupted from the object, sending shards of ice in every direction, as well as Juvia's water which had been heading toward Gray at full speed. Not having enough time for the water to reach and shield Gray, the force of the explosion sent him flying into a nearby wall completely unprotected.

"Gray-sama!" Juvia screamed. The shield of ice and water melted around her and she sprang forward, momentarily forgetting the opponent she'd have to run past in order to get to Gray's side.

Jackal smirked, realizing he'd been forgotten. Just as Juvia's worried form rushed past him, he merely clapped a hand on her shoulder.

She jumped to the side, out of his reach, but the contact had already been made.

Juvia's eyes were narrowed to slits, glaring into Jackal's with rage. "You…Juvia will not forgive you for hurting Gray-sama!"

Jackal smiled. "Haven't figured it out yet, huh, sweetie?"

Juvia twitched. "Juvia is _not_ your sweetie!"

Jackal shrugged, unphased. "Don't worry. If that blast didn't kill him, he'll be joining you in the afterlife soon. Bye, bye." He waved sweetly just as Juvia began to glow.

Her eyes widened as she lifted her arms to examine their luminosity. Not even a second later, an explosion tore through the air, filling the area where Juvia had just been standing with fire and smoke.

A cackle bubbled up from the male enemy. When the smoke cleared, there was not a trace left of Juvia to be found, merely a puddle of water left in her wake. "Stupid girl! How could she have not figured out that whatever touches me is turned into a bomb?" Jackal snorted. "Even after watching it happen to her own lover's sword!" His laughter built, the intensity of it causing him to double over. "And she ran right up, as if asking to be killed! Humans are so, _so_ stupid! Their emotions make it almost _too_ easy to slaughter them!"

"Oi."

Jackal froze, his laughter cutting off abruptly. He slowly glanced up from his crouched position, eyes indifferent until they landed on Gray.

Aside from a few bumps and bruises, he appeared relatively unharmed. The ice mage was pushing himself to his knees, raising from the spot where he'd crashed onto the floor after the blast had knocked him into the wall. However, none of this is what startled Jackal. What concerned him the most was the smile Gray wore. Didn't he realize his girl had just been blown to bits? He should be agonizing over his loss, not grinning at Jackal with some sort of twisted pride!

"I told you, didn't I?" Gray's smile disappeared, replaced by a glare. "Don't underestimate us."

The water that had flooded the floor started moving, swirling together to create a whirlpool, lifting high above the ground. Once it was about Jackal's height, the liquid squeezed together, molding into a human form. Seconds later, the water solidified revealing a completely unharmed Juvia, with a deadly gaze.

She'd materialized right in front of Gray, but she didn't bother turning around to look at him. "Gray-sama is okay?" She asked simply, never once wavering eye contact with Jackal.

"Yup. All good here." He rose, stepping up to stand by her side once again. His fingers brushed down the back of her arm, trailing all the way to her palm, but rather than spazzing out like usual, Juvia merely shivered. He'd probably never admit it, but Gray loved seeing her focused like this. It was a breath of fresh air. Though, mind you, he didn't _dislike_ how she always made a fuss over him. It was just nice having a few moments be a little different. His sideways glance found her face. "You?" He asked, already knowing the answer.

"Of course." She smiled, eyes still forward. "Juvia would never leave Gray-sama's side that easily."

Jackal snarled. "You think you've outsmarted me?" He shouted, enraged. " _Me?_ "

"Dunno." Gray shrugged, eyes bored with Jackal's temper tantrum. "Appears that way to us, though."

Jackal's breathing rate spiked, his anger overcoming his sense of control. "Oh, yeah?!" His crazed eyes glued to Juvia as a wicked smile plagued his lips. "Let's see you turn into water this time!"

His arms moved at an alarming speed, throwing bomb after bomb at the startled pair. "Can you dodge all of these?! _Can you?!_ "

Gray and Juvia ran, jumping and ducking out of the way, but soon there were too many explosions to avoid. The walls shook, and cracks in the foundation began running up the sides, floor, and ceiling. A loud rumbling caused Juvia to look up to see the ceiling caving down, on the verge of collapsing above an unknowing Gray.

She couldn't even mutter his name, she only knew she had to move. Her body lunged forward just in time, knocking him to the side and covering him from most of the rubble and debris with her small form.

As the walls and ceiling caved in all around them, burying them entirely, Jackal stood off to the side panting. While he caught his breath he admired his masterpiece, smiling at the succession of his plan.

He'd already seen Juvia act recklessly once when she thought Gray was in danger. If Jackal put them in a situation where the only thing that could shield Gray was Juvia herself, then there was no way that she would turn into water to protect her body alone. Therefore Jackal's only option had been to bury them both.

"Stupid." He muttered under his breath, turning away from the wreckage and the two motionless bodies buried beneath.

OoOoOoO

When Lucy came to again she was moving, the sound of a thunderous explosion stirring her out of her dormancy. At first she couldn't make sense of why she was hearing explosions, or of why she was staring down at the floor, which was moving all on its own, running away from her so to speak.

It took her only a moment to realize what was happening.

She was being carried over someone's shoulder.

 _NO!_ She had to save Erza! She couldn't allow herself to be carried away!

But her thoughts and her body didn't share the same sense of urgency. Her head swam as she begged her body to move, to fight, to protest. To do _something!_

She envisioned Erza's thrashing form, fighting against her restraints to get to Lucy despite the obvious pain that Lucy _knew_ she was enduring.

 _Come on, Lucy. Fight it!_ She begged her paralyzed body.

She pictured her mom, who she still had to get out of this hellish manor. And Loke who was currently protecting her. She pictured the keys she had yet to find.

 _Fight, fight! You have too much left to do!_ She squeezed her eyes shut in concentration.

That was when her mind was filled with a vision of flames. Hot, destructive, furious flames. Vengeful and unyielding, they burned within her.

Lucy's eyes snapped open.

In one fierce, yet painful, movement, Lucy swung her legs up high and brought them back down, kneeing her captor with all the strength she could muster.

The duo fell forward, and Lucy clumsily flipped away out of arms reach. A male voice groaned, but she didn't plan on sticking around to see if they were okay. She pushed herself to her feet, stumbling in the process but continuing forward nevertheless.

The hallway she found herself now in was unfamiliar and completely unlike every other hallway in the manor so far. It was lined entirely of brick, torches hung along the walls being the only source of light. There seemed to be only one door, nestled away at the very end of the hall.

Lucy glanced back at the body that was still keeled over on the ground, noticing that the other end of the hall led to a staircase. Her eyes traveled back to the body when she caught their movements in her peripherals, and widened when she recognized the male as her father. He was still holding his abdomen, but was beginning to recover his breath.

Lucy wasted no time, turning tail and bolting for the room at the end of the hall. She just had to get behind closed doors. Then she could use her key. She could go back to Natsu, and together they could rescue Erza!

That was her thinking as she ducked into the room, slamming the door behind her. But dread washed over her as she reached up and fished out her necklace of keys.

One. Two. Three…No…No, that can't be right. She counted again, one, two, three. _No._

Her key was missing. Not _just_ any key, the _King's Key._

Lucy paled. Wave after wave of realizations crashed over her. Her key was gone. It was in the enemies hands. She had no way of getting back to Erza. And she had just trapped herself into whatever room she'd recklessly just ran into.

Speaking of…

Lucy took a few calming deep breaths, looking around the room for the first time. Maybe there was another way out?

But alas, her hopes were dashed. The room she was in had a circular interior, the walls lined with the same brick and torches as the hallway outside. The only door in the room led to her father, so her chances of escaping were slim. No windows, no stairs, nothing. In fact, the only thing even in the room was at its very center.

It appeared to be an intricate podium unlike anything Lucy had ever seen, with a lone small object resting atop it, too far away for Lucy to make out what it was. Stranger yet was the dazzling crystal orb, mysteriously floating a few feet in the air above the podium. Then, to make matters even more weird, there were the two metal beams hanging from the ceiling, like giant electric rays you'd expect to see in a mad science lab. Lucy's mind could only come up with one comparison, and it gave her chills…Remember the old cheesy science fiction horror, the one of Dr. Frankenstein bringing his monster to life? Imagine that kind of setup, only the strange equipment pointed at this floating crystal orb rather than a preserved dead body…Lucy shivered.

But her curiousity knew no bounds, her hands rubbing away the goosebumps on her arms as she crept forward to investigate.

Her eyes stayed on the floating orb as she inched closer, her brow scrunched together in confusion. The crystal looked familiar, as if she'd seen something like it before…but where?

Her eyes widened when it hit her. She looked down at her wrist, where her precious bracelet was secured, the lacrima orb that kept her celestial magic concealed from others still safely dangling from it. That was it.

She glanced back up to the floating ball. The object was a lacrima crystal, much larger than the one she wore. It had to be. She knew she was right.

But what was it for?

Lucy glanced down to the podium, wondering offhandedly how the orb was able to float midair, when she had to do a double take.

Her key! There it was, resting right in the middle of that bizarre looking podium. Her hand shot out, ready to take back what was hers when her father's voice filled the room.

"Don't!"

Lucy flinched. When had the door been opened? She could have sworn she didn't hear anything…She turned around, ready to face him, only to realize that the door hadn't been opened after all.

Instead there was a small, eye-level opening in the door. Like a hatch that a prison guard could peer through in order to check on the prisoner inside, without putting themselves in harms way of course.

"Step away from the key, Lucy, and come out here."

Lucy waited a moment, staring into her father's eyes. When she saw that he wasn't making any movements to come inside, she crossed her arms. "What? Not going to come in here and make me?"

Jude remained stationary, causing Lucy to snort. "Yeah, I figured." She turned back to her key again.

"I'll let your mother go. You and her both. You can leave. Just _don't_ take that key."

Lucy's suspicions started to raise as she recalled the events in Kyoka's room. "How…how do you know about this key?" She turned to look into Jude's eyes once more. "No one is supposed to know anything about it…" Her voice trailed off.

"There are few things the dark mage doesn't know about." Jude replied stiffly, and Lucy's eyes widened in panic. "He knew about your mother's betrayal to me. And he knew about that wretched key too."

Zeref knew about the King's Key…Lucy's mind was moving too fast to stop and consider what that actually meant.

"How could you work with them?" Lucy spat with disgust. "Those people…what they did to my friend. Under _your_ roof! _How could you?!"_

Jude was silent for a pause. Then, "You don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't I?!" Lucy screamed. "Just because you didn't actually kill or harm anyone, doesn't mean you're any less guilty! You're just as bad as those monsters!"

" _Lucy._ " Jude's voice seemed to plead, but that didn't make any sense. That despicable man wasn't pleading with her, there was no possible way.

"Mom had every right to leave you! Betrayal? Ha! She'd have been a fool to stay any longer than she did!" Lucy's anguish poured into her words, turning into a weapon she hoped to use to hurt the stranger in front of her. The stranger who could have been her dad. Maybe in another universe...

Jude's eyes seemed to drain of their color. "I can understand why you'd feel that way…" The life had left his voice, leaving it empty like a doll. "But please. Leave that room. I…can't stop now."

Lucy scoffed. "You _can't_ stop? Oh, please. Don't act as if you have no control over all of the terrible things you've done. That's a cowardice way of not taking responsibility for your shitty actions."

"You don't understand…" His words seemed strained, like he was forcing them now.

"What exactly don't I understand, _father?_ " She sneered the title.

"His majesty…almost always gets his way." Jude huffed as if he were exerting himself by speaking. "Lucy…that key. This room. It will…extract."

Lucy's furious rampage halted at his last sentence. 'Extract'? Her body went cold, remembering the weird equipment and elaborate setup behind her. Why hadn't she been more concerned about what it was all for?

Well, she knew the answer…she'd been too blinded by her emotions and rage that she became completely oblivious to the clear signs of something terrible about to happen. Her key obviously wasn't in this room for no reason! Extract? What could that…

Lucy snatched the King's Key off of the podium, relieved when it was once more in her palm. She held the metal tightly in her fist and attempted to teleport out. She focused on Natsu, on his smile, on his hair, his eyes, his scarf. _Take me to Natsu,_ she requested the King's Key earnestly…but nothing happened. It was then that Lucy realized the metal didn't warm on contact with her palm like it normally did. She couldn't feel anything coming from it at all.

"It won't work." Jude said, bringing her attention back to him.

"What did you do?" Her voice was barely a whisper.

"Nothing…not yet."

She turned to face him. "What's going on?"

"His majesty designed this room…it's walls are line with elements derived from a weapon stolen from the magic council. Inside the room, all magic is nullified." Jude was nearly wheezing by the end of his sentence.

Lucy's concern for him was no where near the devastation she suddenly felt while looking down at the key in her palm. "You mean…the key is…and my magic. It's gone?"

"Only nullified…in that room." Jude responded with strain.

Lucy's head snapped up. She just had to get out of these walls? Sweet relief flooded her body, and her feet carried her across the room until she was standing right in front of the doorway, staring into her father's eyes.

"Let me out, please." She demanded.

Jude's eyes actually looked pained. "I can't."

"I don't understand." She twisted the doorknob, only to discover it locked. "Why can't you, you're standing right there?"

His brow furrowed, a sheen of sweat glistening on his forehead. "I… _can't_." Jude took a step back, away from the door. "Put…the key back. And come."

Her head was shaking before he'd finished speaking. "I won't do that." Lucy said firmly. "Listen to me, Dad." She pleaded, the name causing Jude to cease his movements. "A lot of messed up things have happened here, a lot of bad has come from this place. But you _can_ change that. _You_ can. Please, just let me go."

Jude shook his head, appearing to fight with himself as he tugged on his hair, eyes screwed tightly together. "I _will_ let you go! Just put…the key…back!" He yelled.

"I can't do that!" Lucy screamed just as passionately. Is this what Jude meant when he used the word 'can't'? Sure, Lucy had the _physical_ ability to leave the key in the room and walk out. But _could_ she actually do that? Never. Why didn't he get it? She couldn't leave the key behind! Without it, her entire mission was over. Without it, the world was beyond saving. Without it, she had no hope of beating Zeref. But he didn't know any of that. He didn't know anything about her. Would he even care if he did? " _I won't do that!_ " She screamed, deciding the latter statement more fitting than the former.

Jude's head stopped shaking. When he opened his eyes, they were distant, far, faraway from this terrible place. "So be it." He said in a monotone, the same tone he'd used when she'd met him for the first time earlier. Whatever he'd been fighting against in his own mind, it was over. And he had lost. Or maybe it was only Lucy who lost…

His movements were robotic once again as he walked away from the opening, turning his back on his daughter entirely.

"What are you doing?" She asked timidly, standing on her tiptoes to get a better look through the opening. "Father?" She watched as he walked about halfway down the hall, stopping once he reached a lever jutting out of the stone wall.

Her stomach dropped as he reached for it. How had she not noticed that lever earlier when she was in the hallway? She cursed herself, going over all the things in her head that it could do. After a few nasty possibilities ran through her mind she decided immediately that levers in creepy lit areas were _rarely_ ever a good thing.

"We seem to have run into a stalemate." He answered as though he were bored. "You can't leave the key, and I can't let the key go." He shrugged as if there was nothing more he could do. "So you shall stay there." His fingers wrapped around the lever.

"Stop!" Lucy beat her fists against the door. The word that Jude had used before was repeating itself over and over in her mind. 'Extract'…What would Zeref want with the King's Key? The most powerful magical object to ever exist...an object that could only be used by those _chosen_ to use it. If there was a way to actually harness that power…to 'extract' it…the power could fall into anyone's hands. That kind of power, in the hands of the most powerful dark mage the world had ever known?

"That room's purpose to extract all magic power from any object within it. Though the magic can't be used in those walls, it _can_ be transferred." Jude informed in a dull tone, confirming Lucy's terrible fears. "We've never experimented with a person inside, however. You may experience something a bit uncomfortable."

Lucy started throwing her body into the door at full force, desperate to break it down. "You don't know what you're doing! _Please!_ " She begged. " _Let me out!"_

Jude looked up at Lucy one last time. "You should have listened to me." Those were the last words Lucy heard before he swung the lever down.

The room she was locked in began to hum, as if coming to life. Her dread was amplified when she peaked over her shoulder at the podium in the center of the room. Only when the strange circular top of the podium began to glow did she realize what it reminded her of. She tried to recall an image from one of her science books when her mom had been teaching her.

The words came to mind as soon as the image did. A tesla coil! That's what the podium looked like. A four foot tesla coil, made out of lacrima crystal instead of metal and copper. But if a regular coil took electric currents and amplified them into extremely high voltage electricity, then what would one made out of lacrima extract and amplify? Lucy had a pretty good idea at this point.

If this room was built to extract the magic out of the King's Key, then there was a pretty decent chance that the metal rays hanging from the ceiling, pointing at the floating orb, were going to inject that extracted magic into that unenchanted lacrima crystal. Creating a new King's Key of sorts, one that could be used by _any_ being, worth or not.

She wrapped her hands protectively around the key in her palm, ducking away from the lacrima podium. It wasn't until the walls began to thrum, taking on a slightly luminescent glow, that she realized her efforts were futile. Try as she might to shield the key with her body, a bright white light began seeping out of the cracks of her fingers, pulled from the object in her hands.

The beauty of the light dazzled Lucy, even amongst her fear. It was like millions of tiny stars dancing together, shimmering in the air. This twinkling, warm aura…this was the physical manifestation of the key's magic. This, in all intents and purposes, was the soul of the King's Key itself. Staring into it was like staring into a vast, unending void of knowledge, and Lucy was mesmerized. So much so that she didn't notice the tears beginning to spill down her cheeks.

Nor did she notice the light that began to emit from herself…

Unlike the pure white of the King's Key, the aura of Lucy's magic was golden honey in color. She blinked when she finally broke out of her trance, seeing the golden light dance in the air with the white. She looked down, noticing the warm essence flooding out of her chest for the first time.

Was this…her celestial magic?

Her wonder was effectively chased out the door when she became fully aware of what was happening. It wasn't just the key's magic that was being extracted…it was her own magic as well.

It began as a small tug. Like someone had reached inside of Lucy and started pulling lightly on things that shouldn't be messed with. But with every bit of light that flowed out of her, the tugging grew stronger. Panic consumed her when the pain first started to set in.

It was that same panic that caused her to scream out, to call for help in the only way she could possibly think of in the moment.

" _Natsu!_ " The name rang out of Lucy's mouth without conscious effort. It was only after she realized that he was probably stuck fighting Tartaros and more than likely unable to come to her aid that the hopelessness of the situation sank in.

And everything escalated from there.

Uncomfortable turned into painful. Painful turned into unbearable. And unbearable felt like her own veins were being ripped out of her body one by one, sinews tearing apart in order to make way for their escape.

She collapsed onto the floor, any control she had over her body gone. The King's Key clinked across the stone, knocked out of Lucy's hand by the force of her body's collision with the ground.

Lucy couldn't move. She could only lie helplessly, her body convulsing as more and more of her magic was forcefully removed from her body. What would happen once it was all gone? Would she die? Was this how it all ended? She didn't even get to see Natsu again…Or talk to her mom one last time. She didn't even save Erza, not to mention the entire world that supposedly depended on her.

She would have taken Kyoka's torture over this. Hell, if this went on any longer Lucy was sure she would have taken _death_ over this, despite all of the things mentioned above.

Thankfully for her, it didn't. Go on any longer, that is.

The thrumming of the room stopped, and Lucy briefly wondered if it was because the magic had all been extracted. But the commotion and clamor out in the hall indicated otherwise. Could it be…?

Before she found out, the golden aura that had been slowly leaving her body reversed, returning to its rightful place rather quickly. Feeling returned to her fingers, then her arms, then her legs, and so on.

A sigh of relief escaped her lips and Lucy pushed herself into a seated position, gazing up at the retreating mixture of golden and white light in wonder.

Wait, white light? Her body began to feel hot. Too hot. Why was it rushing into _her_ body and not back into the key?

"You bastard!" A voice Lucy had been yearning to hear finally reached her ears. " _I'll kill you!_ "

Natsu had made it. He was there. Everything would be fine now. A strained smile stretched across Lucy's lips as the last trace of magic disappeared into her chest. A chest that was rising and falling much too quickly. She lifted a shaky hand to hover over her heart and press down.

Her smile vanished when she felt her heartbeat. There's no way that was right…her heart shouldn't be beating that fast, no matter how scared or shocked she'd been. It shouldn't even be _possible_ to beat that fast. Something was wrong. She was burning up, her breathing spiked and labored. Her fingers curled, clutching the front of her shirt in panic.

Lucy collapsed just as the door was kicked down from the other side.

OoOoOoO

"Got it!"

Natsu smiled when Gray's words reached his ears from the floor above. It wasn't like he needed to hear it or anything. Natsu knew Gray had it covered. He knew there was nothing to worry about. And yet…it was still nice to hear the ice mage's confidence.

But now he had to focus.

Happy's wings beat furiously above his head, flying them into the lower level, the level he was sure Lucy was on. The screams had stopped, which was both a good and bad sign for Natsu. Good because whatever had been making her scream had hopefully ceased…bad because he had no idea where to go.

"What'd she say earlier, Happy?" Natsu pondered. "Luce found the hidden room in a…a coat closet! That's it, right?"

"Aye!"

Natsu peeked over his shoulder at the feline. "Alright! Let me down, we'll split up and search every room on this level!"

"One of them has to be the one Lushi's in!" Happy declared, dropping Natsu immediately.

He landed on his feet easily, breaking out into a sprint without missing a beat. "Exactly! Check every one, and leave the door open so we know which ones we've looked through."

The duo separated, going in opposite directions down the long hall. Natsu threw doors open without holding back, his unchecked strength tearing most of the hinges out of the walls in the process. Cursing each time he found an empty bedroom or office, he ran to the next.

It was when he got to a rather suspicious looking doorway that hope was ignited in his chest. The heavy wooden door was protected with a variety of locks and deadbolts, signifying that something precious was trapped inside.

 _Found her_ , he thought with a grin, and took a single step back before kicking the door down without even the smallest bit of effort.

He immediately stepped inside and, before he could contemplate why the interior of the room was off, his eyes zeroed in on a blonde head of hair.

But not the blonde head he was looking for…not quite.

Layla stared with wide eyes at Natsu, standing slightly behind Loke, who was poised to attack. Only when Loke recognized Natsu did he straighten up, lowering his guard.

"What's happening out there?" Loke wasted no time, getting straight to the point.

But Natsu wasn't listening, or he ignored the question if he was.

"You're…not Lucy." He stated, eyes still glued to Layla. No, though this woman looked _a lot_ like her, she wasn't his Lucy. Her features were older, wiser even. Still just as beautiful, but grown up. In the back of his mind, Natsu _knew_ who she was. Of course he knew, she was one of the reasons they were on this rescue mission in the first place. He hadn't forgotten. But a curious thought had occurred to him that seemed to have stopped all functionality of his brain.

 _This is what Lucy will look like when she gets older._

Natsu, still frozen on the spot, turned beat red.

Loke took the courtesy of responding. "Uh, yeah…obviously. Thank you for that." His sarcasm leaked into Natsu's ears, reawakening the dragon slayer from whatever trance he'd been under.

His green eyes narrowed when they glued onto Loke. "Tch. I see you're as arrogant as always."

Loke grinned as if it were a compliment. "Now, tell me, what's happening?"

Natsu stepped further into the room, noticing it was a library for the first time. That should have been the first clue that he wasn't in the right place, but he'd been too distracted by Layla to realize. "Er, well…our plan is kind of falling apart." He answered, scratching the back of his head as his eyes traveled back to Lucy's mom.

Loke frowned. "Again…that's obvious."

Natsu dropped his hand. "Oi, smartass." He glared. "I don't know the details. I came down looking for Lucy."

"Excuse me."

Natsu jumped when he felt a delicate tug on his sleeve. He looked down at Layla with tinted cheeks.

"You know where my daughter is?"

Natsu gulped, looking away sheepishly. "Er…well. Sorta. I know she's on this floor."

"Natsu! Lucy's not on this floor!" Happy yelled, flying into the room and countering Natsu's statement in the process.

"Huh?!" He shouted in astonishment, rounding to face Happy as he flew over. "What do you mean?!"

"I checked every room, all the way down! There's not a coat- WHOA!" Happy's eyes widened, pointing behind Natsu. "She looks just like Lushi!"

Loke sighed, pushing his sunglasses up the bridge of his nose. "What is it with you two? Seriously, sometimes I feel bad for Lucy…"

Layla's head tilted in confusion over Loke's statement, but Natsu began speaking before she could question what he meant.

"There's no way it's not down here…Lucy said the room she found was on the same floor as this library…They must be concealing it somehow…" He murmured to himself.

Loke stepped up. "Did she describe this room at all? I still remember this estate's layout fairly well. I might be able to tell you where it's supposed to be."

Natsu's head snapped up. "A coat closet!" He responded instantly.

Loke nodded, recognition clear in his eyes. "On this floor? The only closet is-"

Before Loke could finish his sentence he disappeared in a poof of smoke.

Natsu gaped at the empty spot where the flirt had just been standing. "Wha...what?!" He twirled around, hoping to find the spirit standing behind him. "Horrible timing, four eyes! Get back here!" He shouted into nothing, though he knew Loke was no longer within hearing distance.

Movement caught Natsu's eye and when he turned to face it he found himself once more staring at Layla.

"My daughter…" Layla began, her fingers latching onto the material of Natsu's one sleeve for the second time. "Earlier, she summoned Leo here. If he disappeared, it would mean that his gate was closed…" Layla's voice trailed off, but her eyes silently pleaded with Natsu.

She didn't need to explain what that meant to Natsu, he could put two and two together. Either Lucy closed the gate herself, or something happened to her that forced it to close.

"The closet Leo was talking about," Layla continued in a desperate hurry, "would be at the very end of this hall, on the left hand side. We had a panic room hidden within it. Jude was always so suspicious of the world…he built a safe place in this house in case anyone ever tried to break in to rob us." Layla's eyes drifted to the ground, a pained look glossed over her irises. "Back then he hoped it would be used to protect us...I can only imagine what it's being used for right now."

Without even thinking, Natsu's hand lifted up to cover Layla's on his arm. "Thank you." He said earnestly. "I'm gonna go get Lucy now, and we're all going to leave together, alright?" He cocked his head to the side when she finally looked back up at him. Before he knew it he was grinning down at her like he would have been grinning at Lucy. "Don't look so worried! Your daughter is stronger than you think!" Natsu beamed proudly.

Layla stared at Natsu in wonder for a moment before her brows pinched together. "I'm sorry, but…who are you exactly?" She asked, genuine curiousness evident in her tone, and the underlying question even more so. _Who are you to Lucy?_

Natsu pulled her hand away from his arm, smiling sheepishly as he took a step back. "Not tryin' to be rude, but let's save the introductions for later. Lucy wanted to be the one to do it, so…" He scratched the back of his neck and shrugged, eyes drifted away from Layla.

When his wandering gaze connected with Happy's they shared a brief nod. "Take her to Gajeel and the others." Natsu said, his tone suddenly serious. "If they're in a dangerous spot, don't stop. Take her all the way back to the guild if you have to, just keep her safe."

"Aye, sir!" Happy grinned, giving Natsu a thumbs up before flying over to Layla and swooping her up into the air.

Her bewilderment was only silent for a moment before she started struggling in Happy's grasp. "W-wait, no! Put me down!"

Natsu shook his head as Happy lifted her higher into the air. "Sorry, but Luce would kill me if anything happened to you on my watch. Better safe than sorry!"

Layla sputtered, still wriggling despite Happy's tight grip. " _L-Luce?_ "

Happy's wings beat harder, carrying them further away. When they were about to exit the library, the blue feline called back to Natsu. "Bring Lucy home fast, 'kay, Natsu?" Then the duo was out the door, fleeing through the halls at top speed.

"Aye." Natsu agreed, his eyes focused and narrowed. He exited the library, the temperature of the air rising all around him as he walked. Layla said the room was at the very end of the hall, on the left.

Sure enough, there was no door there, just as Happy said. Meaning it was probably being concealed with some sort of magic. Natsu came to a stop directly in front of where the door should be. He glared at the empty wall, clenching fists that were completely engulfed in flames. Yes, there was definitely something there. He could feel the strange magic camouflaged onto the house now that he was focusing on it. Meaning…even if he couldn't see the door, he could still easily break it down.

Now that he knew where to go, nothing would stop him from getting to Lucy. He was ready to fight off the entire dark guild of Tartaros if he had to.

Luckily for him it was only one member that appeared before him. Or _behind_ him for that matter.

"Found ya, you bastard."

Without turning around, Natsu dodged right at the exact moment when a fist came flying straight for the back of his head.

Jackal, surprised and off balance, flew forward with considerable force, barreling right into the invisible door rather than his intended target. The sound of wood splintering filled the hall, and the magic concealing the closet faded away.

Natsu peeked inside at last, finding Jackal struggling to free himself from the variety of fur coats and jackets that he'd caught himself in.

"O-ho?" A new voice came from behind Natsu. "I have quite a few people trying to sneak into my playroom today."

Natsu turned around slowly, completely calm and composed aside from his narrowed eyes. He came face to face with Kyoka, who wore an amused expression.

"Tell me, trespasser," Kyoka began, taking a step toward Natsu, "Do you want to have some fun?"

"Where's Lucy?" Natsu asked, not in the mood for her games.

"AHA!" Jackal screamed triumphantly once he'd freed himself, and an armful of coats were thrown on Natsu's head.

A foul odor, the same he'd smelled the night of the lighthouse incident, filled his nose just as the jackets exploded all around him.

Fire engulfed the room, the walls of the house creaking and groaning from the impact.

Jackal laughed maniacally, proud of himself. "Three down! How many more to go?!" He cackled. "I hope there are hundre— _HUH?_ "

His eyes nearly bulged from his head when the smoke cleared and Natsu was left standing and unharmed, aside from a wild head of frizzy hair.

"Gross." The dragon slayer wiped the back of his hand across his mouth. "Those flames were disgusting."

"You—what? Ate… _how?_ " Jackal babbled incoherently, the shock clear all over his face.

Kyoka, however, grinned evilly. "I see. This _will_ be fun.

Natsu's eyes narrowed, glancing between the two before him. Their power was spectacular, he couldn't deny that. The strength he felt from them was overwhelming. He knew he'd have to give it his all and then some to fight just one of them. Fighting two of them at the same time though…Natsu smiled.

Well, he _did_ love a challenge.

He ignited his body in flames, positioning himself into a fighting stance.

"Natsu." A flash of blue appeared by his side.

Natsu's eyes remained on his enemies. "Jellal." He greeted. "'Bout time."

"Well, you know…this place is-"

"Fuckin' huge!" Natsu finished his sentence for him, the matter still infuriating him to no end. "I still don't see why one guy needs all this." He grumbled.

Jellal took his spot next to Natsu, eyeing their opponents with calculation. "Have you seen Erza?"

"Not yet. She's in there though." He nodded toward the closet where the panic room was secretly tucked away.

Jellal nodded. "I see. So first we have to…" His eyes narrowed.

Natsu briefly wondered what could be going through Jellal's mind. After all, he was now staring at some of the people responsible for giving Ultear the orders to brainwash him. But Jellal showed no signs of losing his cool. In fact, he remained eerily calm as he readied himself for a fight.

"Their power is unlike anything I've ever felt." He observed aloud. "And yet…"

Natsu grinned. "Makes you think this could be kinda fun, huh?"

The faintest grin tugged on Jellal's lips. "Well…I haven't had the chance to go all out in awhile." He admitted, causing a bark of laughter to bubble up from Natsu.

Suddenly Kyoka and Jackal exchanged a look, their eyes widened.

"Talk about terrible timing." Jackal whined. "I was looking forward to killing these guys."

Kyoka nodded, her eyes sliding over to Natsu's. "Not to worry. We'll see you again, _Fairy Tail_."

Before Natsu and Jellal even had a chance to lunge forward in attack, the members of Tartaros disappeared in a blinding flash of light.

Silence filled the dimly lit hall, and Natsu and Jellal exchanged a look of wide-eyed confusion.

"What…just happened?" Natsu asked. "Did they just…run away?"

Jellal looked around, shaking his head in the process. "No." He began. "It would seem more like they were summoned elsewhere."

"So…I guess that's probably…a good thing, right?" Natsu wasn't quite sure himself.

Jellal stopped, eyes connecting with Natsu's. "Well, we can go down there now, for starters."

Natsu's eyes widened even further and not a second later he was running into the closet, throwing open the door hidden in the back, and bolting down the stairs into the panic room.

His eyes took no time adjusting to the dark, and he ran up to the first, and only, person he saw. "Erza!"

White hot, unrelenting anger surged through him when he looked her over. His hands grasped the chains hanging above her head, melting through the metal with ease.

Erza's body fell forward, and Natsu caught her easily. She was unconscious, covered from head to toe in scratches and bruises, her clothing torn and hair matted. Not only that, but she felt light in Natsu's grip, _too_ light, as though she'd been starved during her captivity.

Natsu was going to kill whoever was responsible for this. He was sure of it. He was going to leave, right now. And he was going to find that vile woman who called this room her ' _playroom',_ wherever she was in the world,and he was going to end her-

Lucy's distant scream reached his ears, bringing him back to his very harsh reality.

His eyes widened. That's right…Lucy should have been in this room. He looked around, only finding Jellal walking up behind him.

Dammit. She must have been taken somewhere else before Natsu had made it down here. He was always just barely missing her.

"Jellal." Natsu said, his voice rough. "I need you to take Erza."

The mage reached Natsu's side, silent as he knelt down beside him. His hands were gentle, although shaking with an unspoken emotion, as he reached for the redhead, bringing her safely into his arms. He stared down at Erza wordlessly, only looking up once he felt Natsu move. "I'm coming with you."

"Take her-"

"I won't leave her anywhere, she's staying with me." Jellal interrupted.

"Then why-"

Jellal interjected once more, his word absolute. "We don't know what's happening. If you feel anything like I do right now when you find her, it'd be better to have someone by your side. You may find yourself doing something you may regret out of anger. I won't let that happen."

With his fists clenched tightly, Natsu stood without another word, walking back up the stairs. Jellal had a point that he wouldn't argue with. He was already struggling to stay in control, to keep his rage in check.

He forced himself to remain entirely calm, eyes shut tight as he focused on Lucy. He allowed his senses to be his guide, leading him to the girl he'd been looking for. Leading him to her cherry blossom sent, her warm aura, her body temperature, her breathing, her heart beat, _her_.

Got it. He knew where she was. He could feel her presence, high above him on an upper level of the manor. His eyes opened and he took off in a flash, locked on to Lucy. Despite not knowing the layouts of the ridiculous mansion, he was zeroed on _her_ , like a GPS pinpointed onto a specific location, making it easy enough to navigate through the maze of halls. If only he had focused on her like this before, maybe he would have been able to get to her before she ever even had to scream. Maybe they would already be together again…

Natsu pushed the thoughts aside. He couldn't worry about that, about what he _should_ have done. He only had now. He only had his present chance to get to her.

Soon. His legs pushed onward. Soon, he'd get to Lucy and they could leave this place. They could go _home_.

" _Natsu!_ "

His name screamed from her lips sparked a fury in him that he had no hope to control. It fueled him forward and he put on a burst of speed that easily surpassed the fastest he'd ever ran before. She was calling for him. And she was _close_.

He rounded a corner, coming face to face with a stairway lined with brick. It didn't seem to match the aesthetic of the rest of the manor, as if this top level had been recently built on. However, that detail was lost on Natsu as he ran up in a blind rage.

He reached the top of the stairs, freezing when he saw someone standing in the hallway before him. It was a man, one he'd seen telepathically through Lucy just a little earlier before. A man he already wasn't too fond of to begin with.

Jude Heartfilia stood facing away from Natsu, staring at a doorway at the very end of the hall.

When a groan of pain echoed out from the other side of the closed door, Natsu's sense of reason disappeared. He flew toward the man, ripping him away from the lever that he'd been desperately clinging to. The handle flicked upward once free of Jude's hold, righting itself to its original position.

"What in the _hell_ do you think you're doing?" Natsu's voice was low, deadly, and his grip on Jude's shoulders was enough to shatter the bone if he added any more pressure.

However, Jude seemed unphased. He didn't even seem to notice Natsu, his eyes yearning for the lever he'd been forced to let go of. "I can't stop now." He said in a monotone. "Can't stop."

"Stop what?" Natsu shook Jude harshly. " _What are you doing?_ "

Footsteps barely registered in Natsu's ears as Jellal caught up to him, Erza carried unconscious on his back. The blue-haired mage took a look around, setting Erza carefully on the ground before running up to the locked doorway.

He peered inside once, his back growing rigid from whatever he saw. Swearing colorfully, Jellal turned to face Natsu. "She was being drained of her magic." He informed, running back over to where Jude had been standing before. He leaned down, examining the lever jutting out of the wall. "It looks like whatever machinery is inside has been stopped. It must have happened when you pulled him away from this."

Natsu, however, didn't hear anything past Jellal's first sentence. His eyes glazed over. Didn't Jude know what magic deprivation could do to a wizard? How could someone do that to their own _daughter?_ To Lucy! "You bastard!" He completely snapped. " _I'll kill you!_ " He screamed in Jude's face.

Throwing Jude roughly to the ground, Natsu quickly pounced on top of him, pinning him down. His arm lifted, hand clenched in a tight fist, and came down on Jude's face with a loud smack. Jude's head flew to the side, immediately knocked unconscious, but Natsu's fist didn't stop there. He punched Jude repeatedly, blind to the fact that the man was already knocked out.

It wasn't until a strong set of hands roughly yanked him off of Lucy's dad that he stopped, choosing instead to round on whoever had interrupted him. He didn't see Jellal, he only saw red.

"Natsu, stop."

He didn't. He didn't even hear the words. His hands pulled back, ready to attack Jellal.

"That man is Lucy's father." Jellal stated firmly. "Do you think she'd forgive you for that?"

Natsu's fist froze a centimeter away from Jellal's face, the wind from its speed rustling his blue bangs. Jellal didn't even so much as flinch. Instead, he continued speaking, pulling Natsu closer and closer back to reality. "He's being controlled, just like I was. From the looks of it he's even been fighting against it, trying to regain control of his mind. I'm positive…I would know that dark aura anywhere."

Natsu blinked, seeing Jellal for the first time. His arm lowered to his side. "Jellal…I-"

"It's fine." Jellal let Natsu go and pointed behind him, motioning Natsu to move on.

The fire mage grimaced when he glanced down at Jude's crumpled form on the floor. The man's face was badly bloodied and bruised, and it was from _Natsu's_ doing. His hands shook as he tried to wipe away the blood on his knuckles, the bright scarlet color sickening him. He had completely lost control. He'd even forgotten about what was most important; _Lucy_.

Jellal gave Natsu a little push. "I'll take care of him, he'll be fine. You should go to her now."

Right. He wouldn't forget again.

Natsu moved quickly, running to the end of the hall. He didn't even bother unlocking the door and opening it, knowing it was faster for him to just knock it down with one kick anyway. He stepped inside and _at last_ he saw her.

But what he saw terrified him.

Lucy was collapsed on the ground, her breathing erratic and labored, hitching after every other inhale. She was covered in a sheen of sweat, her body twitching and her heart beating a rhythm much too fast for it to possibly handle.

Natsu was on the ground beside her in an instant, lifting her into his lap, fear gripping him in an unbreakable hold.

" _Lucy._ " He said fretfully. "H-hey, what's wrong?"

Her eyes locked onto his face, briefly flashing relief. Her body was shaking uncontrollably. "Natsu." She breathed his name. "You...came for me—again." She struggled to get the words out, her hands unsteady as they weakly grasped onto his arms.

Natsu's laugh was short and winded. "Always, you know that."

Her lips pulled into a wobbly smile before she grimaced.

Natsu held her tighter. "Luce, tell me what's going on." His voice was shaking too at this point. "Where are you hurt?" It didn't make sense. He couldn't smell any fresh blood, or at least not from anything major anyway. Only a few minor scrapes. And Jellal said that her magic had returned to her, so _what was wrong?_

"E-Everything…is heavy. And hot." She exhaled, her brow scrunched together while she tried to focus on evaluating herself. "I feel l-like my body is flooding. T-Too full. And my _heart_."

Natsu didn't need to be told that last part to know something wasn't right with her heart. In fact, it was almost all he could focus on. Each time it fluttered, or skipped out of tune, or spiked abnormally his breath stopped.

He did his best to attempt a normal smile, to show Lucy that everything was fine. Even though everything inside Natsu was screaming the exact opposite. "Well, we'll just have to fix all that, won't we?"

She didn't seem to hear him, her eyes fading out of focus. "I—Natsu, I think…I th-think I'm dying." Her voice cracked.

Natsu lost all feeling throughout his entire body, instantly going numb. The only thing he was painfully aware of feeling was the intense throbbing of his own heart palpitating in his chest, sending the ripples of its pumped blood straight to his temples. He forced out an uneasy, shaky laugh. "C'mon, Lucy, that's not funny." He started to move, lifting her into his arms with care. "Don't say things like that."

"N-Natsu-" Lucy began but he kept talking as though she hadn't spoken up.

"I'm taking you to Wendy…or Porlyusica." He started walking, forgetting the fact that both of the healers he knew were miles and miles away from them, back at the guild. Or maybe he hadn't forgotten, maybe he just chose to stubbornly ignore it. "You're going to be just fine, you'll see. You did great today, you just need to rest now and heal a little bit."

"Nat-"

"I'm sure you're scared, but I _won't_ let anything else happen to you, Lucy." He took no notice of the fact that he could hear her heart rate slowing at an alarming speed. He disregarded all of the signs.

"Natsu, please, stop." Lucy begged. "Moving…hurts."

Only then did Natsu cease all movement on a dime.

"Please…c-can we sit?" Lucy's voice was soft, weak.

Natsu lowered helplessly. This wasn't happening. No.

" _Jellal!_ " He screamed, the single name sounding so broken on his lips.

Jellal was next to him instantaneously. Natsu looked up, his eyes pleading with the man. "I need you to go get help. Anyone, anything. Find someone, _please_."

Jellal's eyes lingered on Lucy for a moment before dropping in defeat. Thankfully, Natsu wasn't looking at Jellal any longer, missing the look of dejection that had taken over his friend's features. The mage retreated swiftly, and Natsu leaned in closer to Lucy once he was gone.

"N-Natsu…" She looked up into his eyes, tears pooling below her irises. He quickly wiped them away before they could fall. The act brought a small smile to her face. "I w-want you…to tell my mom that I—love her. And that I'm sorry, okay? Please."

"Lucy, stop." He shook his head, glaring down at her. "You're not-"

"And tell—everyone at the guild 'thank you', from the bottom of my heart." Her heart was barely even pumping now, the pitiful sound hardly able to pass for a 'beat', and her head was beginning to lull backwards.

"Lucy, tell them _yourself_. You're _fine_." He held her head gently in his hands, pressing his forehead to hers, offering her his strength when she clearly had none. It was only when he saw the large, salty drops of liquid falling onto her cheeks that he realized he was crying. The tears kept coming, splashing and rolling down onto her skin as if they were her own.

"N-Natsu?" She asked tentatively. Her eyes had gone hazy, glancing around frightfully as if she couldn't see him anymore. She lifted a weak hand toward his cheek, but didn't have the energy to make it entirely there. He clasped her delicate hand tight within his palm, lifting it the rest of the way and cupping it gingerly against his face.

"I'm here." His voice rasped, rough with his held back sobs.

This wasn't real. There was no way. This can't be happening.

Lucy sighed with relief when her hand connected with his cheek. "Natsu you…I can't—I _won_ _'t_ ever get to th-thank you enough. And I'm s- _so_ sorry." Her voice cracked again.

"Luce, don't. Why are you apologizing?" He shook his head in confusion, the movement causing the painful throbbing in his head to increase. What was taking Jellal _so long, dammit?!_

She smiled, or tried to at least. It proved to be too strenuous of an act for her to complete. "There were so many d-different ways I had in mind…to do this."

Natsu was shaking now, a lot like Lucy was, but in an entirely different way. "You're not dying today, Lucy Heartfilia, _do you hear me?_ " His voice shook but his eyes held her gaze, unwavering. "So you can keep whatever ideas you have up there and just forget it, okay?"

Lucy attempted to shake her head, only managing a slight twitch left and right. "N-not that." She whispered.

"Then what-"

"I…love you, Natsu. With my entire existence, I l-love you." She managed to smile.

Natsu froze. Not even a single breath escaped his lips as his entire world was torn apart by three simple words.

But they weren't simple. They were powerful beyond measure, and so, _so_ important. They were exactly what Natsu had been yearning, _hoping_ to hear, and yet they were what he despised _the most_ now that he'd heard them. Because Lucy telling Natsu something like _that_ at a time like _this_ could only mean one thing. Well, two things.

She truly believed that she was dying.

And she _loved_ him.

"W-what?" His voice broke. What kind of twisted fate is that?

"I wanted—to t-tell you for a while, I think. I was going to…b-but I-"

"No," Natsu cut her off, shaking his head back and forth. "No, no, you do _not_ get to tell me like that. _No_." He glanced behind him, desperate to see some sort of help arriving. Frustrated when he saw no one, he turned back to Lucy only to let out a broken sob.

Her eyes were half-lidded, barely able to stay open.

"Lucy, no." He shook her gently. "Keep your eyes open, okay?"

To his dismay they lowered even more. "H-hey, we're not done talkin'. Luce... _Lucy!_ Answer me!"

When her chocolate irises were no longer able to be seen, Lucy spoke, her words hardly even a whisper. "It's…okay. I d-don't feel anything…anymore."

What did she mean?! That was the _opposite_ of okay!

"N-Natsu." His name came out as a sigh. "I…" Her voice trailed off, her body going entirely limp.

Sobs were racking Natsu's body as he shook Lucy harder than before. " _You what?_ Lucy, _wake up_. You have to keep talking." His voice was raising, growing louder and faster with his desperation. "You have to come back. Wake up and come back to _me_. You don't get to do this, you promised me that you'd be okay! Dammit, Lucy, _wake up!_ "

A moment later, everything around them disappeared, fading away until the entire world was nothing more than an endless black void. Or it might as well have been at least. Because when Natsu heard Lucy's life come to an end, his world might as well have ended too, ceasing to exist along with the beating of her heart.

* * *

 **Well then! Gosh, that was a lot! This was also one of the longest chapters I've written yet, so there's a lot to discuss!  
**

 **There was a lot of jumping around to different points of view, hopefully it wasn't too hard to keep up with! I did that to show how quickly everything was happening, and how it was all happening at the same time. The timeline of events is as follows: Natsu leaves Gray and Juvia to battle Jackal. While that's going on, Natsu searches for Lucy. Rather than finding Lucy, he finds her mom. During that time Kyoka and Jude are arguing in the basement. When Lucy is knocked out, Loke disappears in the library. Jude sends Kyoka away, who goes to find Jackal and the intruders, and Jude takes Lucy away so he can bring her key to the extraction room. That was when Natsu sent Layla away with Happy and went to find the hidden room, only to run into Jellal, Kyoka, and Jackal instead. The two demons disappear, and you know the rest. It was a lot happening all at once! That's why it was necessary to show all of the different perspectives:) Like I said, hopefully it wasn't too confusing! Let me know if there are anyyy questions!**

 **Now! First of all, good job to those of you that guessed Kyoka from the get go~! She seems like a big bundle of joy, eh? A lot of people were surprised that Jackal and Natsu didn't get to battle it out, but like some of you said, it wouldn't have fit what was going on in the story...yet. However, Gray and Juvia's battle with Jackal was one of my favorite things to write this entire chapter! It was a lot of fun. Speaking of Gray and Juvia, I wonder if they're okay...? Hmm.**

 **Moving on, Natsu has now officially met both of Lucy's parents! What did you think of their first meetings? XD One was slightly better than the other one...Ahh, and Jerza has reuninted! Although Erza isn't aware of that yet, haha.**

 **Before I move on to talk about the ending, let's talk about some theories! Why do you guys think Jackal and Kyoka disappeared? Would Natsu and Jellal have been able to win if they fought them side-by-side? I wonder!**

 **On to Jude! Just in case it wasn't completely clear in the story, he was definitely being controlled the same way that Jellal had been. Does anyone remember Jellal's chapter? Kudos to the person that can tell me what substance was being experimented with that allowed people to control the minds of others! It'll be important later.**

 **Ahh, and now, we reach the end of the chapter. Natsu and Lucy, ahh, they usually make me so happy! This was the first time that writing them has actually upset me...It was really hard to write that ending! That took a lot out of me mentally to try to imagine what it would be like for Natsu, the boy who is always just a _second_ too late. How he would feel holding Lucy, the person he loves, in his arms as she took her last breath. **

**Yeah, for those of you who were doubting me, that _actually_ happened. Lucy is 100% dead. I'm positive. And I'm terrible T^T **

**BUT GUYS!**

 **SHE CONFESSED TO HIM!**

 **That's why it was so hard! Having Lucy confess to Natsu in that moment suckeddd, but she knew she was dying ('Wait! How did she know?!', you ask angrily. Well, how does anyone know? They say that people tend to be aware of what's happening in their final moments, and usually our bodies and minds keep us calm and at peace, preparing us for the inevitable...I promise I'm a writer, not a murderer T^T) and she knew this would more than likely be her one and only chance to tell him how she felt! 'Cause, remember, our dense duo thought it'd be a good idea to wait until _after_ the mission to confess their feelings! That's a terrible idea, whyyyy!? They might as well have just waved a death flag around in the air. Pfft. **

**Anywho, yeah, so...Next chapter is...well, you'll see.**

 **Don't be too mad! Or, well, be mad! Because that means I provoked some sort of emotion out of you, and that's better than no emotion, right? Tell me what you think! Let me know if there are any questions! This was a lot in one chapter, so there are bound to be a few.**

 **Fin-Fish Jun-Tenshi : Of course! I always read the reviews! Everything you guys say is so important to me! In fact, I usually read them over a few times!:) It means a lot to me knowing that people take the time out of their day to not only _read_ my story but to tell me what they think about it to! I appreciate it to no end. Ahaha, I loved the chapters where Natsu was on Earth! It was fun to imagine what he'd be like in our world:) Ahh, thank you so much! You made me smile!  
**

 **peacerockgirl123 : Eeek...so...how are we kicking Natsu's butt now? T^T Cause he didn't hurry fast enough like you told him to! Wahhhhh *cries* It was so hard to writeeee. Ah, I agree with you! I wanted an actual canon ending, SO BAD! But in my heart and mind they will always be canon! I think Mashima was leaning toward it anyway. Who knows, maybe we'll get a special omake that's set years down the road, and maybe they'll have little NaLu babies! Oh gosh, the thought of it makes me want to cryyyy! Ah, thank you again for reviewing! As always, you rock! Also, please don't hate me T^T  
**

 **SulliMike23 : You are...so...right! Lucy is more trouble than she's ever been in before. Er...well, I guess she's not in trouble anymore though? Maybe...I don't really know, can someone be in trouble if they're dead? Ahh, the confusion! T^T  
**

 **lazygirlabc : Wahhh, wow! You, my friend, have made me sooooo freaking happy with your review! WHAT?! You literally read it all in like two days?! That's so amazing! Wow, I'm reeling with happiness right now! And you. made. an. account. out. of. curiosity?! To follow updates. OH GLOB! WOW! Did I mention how happy I am?! Holy cow, I just...AH! You're amazing! Thank you so so so so much for saying all of those wonderful things! You have given me compliments that I never thought I'd receive in a million years! I can't thank you enough! Never apologize for how long a review it, because every word of it made me happy enough to _fly_. I hope that I can continue to live up to your praise! Welcome to the crazy ride, and once again, thank you from the bottom of my heart!  
**

 **Kirinah : Oh my goodness, I don't think my heart can possibly handle any more happiness! WOW~! Thank you so much for reviewing, and for reading, and for enjoying this story in any way! But gah, WOW! To be compared to Mashima...my face is on fire! I know I'm no where near as talented as Mashima-sensei, but the fact that you would say something so _kind_ is just...oh my gosh, I might not ever stop smiling! And knowing that you were captivated by this story from the very beginning...that's amazing! I'm so happy! Wow! Thank you endlessly, I've never received a review quite like this one and I don't think I'll ever receive one like it again, and I can't thank you enough for that! I only hope that I can continue to captivate you from here on! Thank you, thank you, thank you! You rock!  
**

 **FireShifter : Eep! Thank you so much! I am thrilled to be writing again as well, I'm literally overflowing with all of these ideas that I can't wait to share with you! The plot will only continue to thicken from here! Ah, you're so kind! Thank you! And I missed you as well! You're a wonderful friend, thank you for always being there for me! And for checking on me when I go MIA! Hehe :) You're right, it was Kyoka! And just as you said, things are not looking good! T^T Gah, Natsu...shoulda moved faster T^T  
**

 **The Age of Awesomeness : Hiiiii! Thank you again for reviewing! Youuuuu rockkkk! :D And wow, you're the first person that has ever told me not to feel bad for being a little inactive on updates. Thank you! That actually makes me feel a bit better about it. However, I'll still try my best to stick to a schedule from now on!:D haha, really?! That's awesome that it's the first time you've heard that! I love learning new phrases! Then I tend to overuse them once I've learned them, lol XD Thank you so much, again! You're awesome XP  
**

 **ThayetJade : Ahahaha, yes! I'm so glad you enjoyed that part with Jackal! I actually got a kick out of writing that part too, so I'm glad it made someone else laugh! Pshhhh, Natsu, sit still? Neverrrr! You're exactly right, 'go figure'. Hehe. You're not the only one who was surprised by that! But Natsu's not out of the game just yet! Jackal and him miiiiight meet again some day. Haha, anywho, what'd you think about Gray and Juvia's fight with Jackal? Even though it wasn't Natsu, I had some fun with it! Ahhh, you mentioned Virgo! I can't WAIT TO INTRODUCE VIRGO TO THIS STORY! She is one of my favorite spirits! She would have been perfect to use in that moment, but Lucy only has Loke's gold key so far! Ahh, poor Lucy...she went through a lot this chapter T^T I like your theories about Warren! We'll find out next chapter what happened for sure:) You're right about Kyoka! She wouldn't have cared about Lucy being Jude's daughter at all if it weren't for the fact that Zeref had given them some sort of instructions pertaining to Lucy. Or more so pertaining to Lucy's _key_. Hmm. I can't wait to introduce Zeref either! A lot of things are yet to be revealeddd. Ahh, you also mentioned Horologium! That would have been another great way for Lucy to have been saved, but unfortunately she doesn't have him yet either! T^T so far in this story she only has Plue, Loke, and Grandpa Crux. Oh, and the King's Key of course! Ah, thank you so much for reviewing! And for discussing your theories with me! I love hearing them! You rock!:D  
**

 **Darlene : Darleneeeeeeee, hiiiiiiiii! *waves enthusiastically* AHhHhhh! It feels good to be back! Thank you for worrying about me! And don't ever be unsure about whether or not you can message me, messages are always welcome ^-^ But yes, I'm glad to be back on track too! Even though I'm writing some seriously depressing stuff, gahhhhhhh whyyyyyy. AH. You just said you were excited for them to confess in your last review, and now I went and had Lucy confess like this...AH, I'm gonna cry! Bahhhh. Actually, there's no shame on you! I started off by watching the anime of Fairy Tail! I binge watched ALL of it and then I was having some serious withdrawals, and that's when I decided to read the manga! SO, i fully support you and that plan since it's exactly what I did XD hahaha, we're so similar. And YES! When you start reading, we willl totallyyyyy cry together! I will be there for you through it all! T^T I'm glad you're feeling good about changing subjects! I'm sure you feel like a weight has been lifted!:D Ahhhh, and you, my friend, are definitely one of the nicest people I have ever met on the internet before as well! AHHHH, YES I DID SEE DRAGON CRY! I watched it in the cinema, and whoa, I can honestly say it was one of the best times I've had in a theater! Haha, I loved it! The NaLu was adorable, the story was captivating, and the animation, oh gosh, the animation was beautiful! They outdid themselves as far as animating goes compared to the previous movie! Ahh, I just want to watch it again! Have you seen it?! What did you think?! AND OH MY GLOB, DARLENE! If you do decide to write a NaLu fic, pleaseeeeeee telllllll meeeeeee! I want to read a fic written by youuuuuu! I was so insecure about posting my fic on here, it was really nerve-racking. But if I didn't ever post it, I wouldn't have ever met you! :D And I probably wouldn't have written this much, ever. I fully support you! Anddd now, thank you so much! You're amazing, and I can't wait to hear from you again! :D until next time! *squeezes you tight*  
**

 **WOW~! Thank you guys so much. I received some of the most wonderful compliments last chapter...whoa, that was amazing! The happiness you guys give me is incomparable to anything else on the planet! Thank you!**

 **Let me know what you thought of this chapter. We can cry together if you want! T^T**

 **You guys rock! Thanks for reading!**

 **xoxo**

 **-Mac**


	38. Fields of Gold

***Rises from the ashes of the leftover ruins that once was this happy story***

 **I'M ALIVEEE~!**

 **Wow! How are you guys?! It's been a while! Way too long, in fact. Sooo...are you ready for an unexpected dose of heartbreak today? SURPRISE!**

 ***brushes off cobwebs, cracking every joint in my fingers before picking up a feathered quill, laughing evilly all the while***

 **Wow, it feels good to be writing again! Ahh, what can I say? I guess life has had me in a pretty big rut lately T^T I haven't written anything in months. I'm so sorry! I feel like I've been letting people down, but nothing is as bad as letting myself down, which I am trying not to do any longer!**

 **Anyways, helloooo again! Happy belated Halloween, Thanksgiving, Holidays, and New Year! Sheesh, it's been awhile!**

 **Anddd now let's get right on to it, shall we?**

 **Muahahahahaaa!**

* * *

Seconds ticked by at an alarmingly slow speed, each one passing with a painful thrum in Natsu's temples. How was time even moving on? Shouldn't the entire world have frozen right along with him? Yet the seconds slowly crept on, until his head was filled with an endless ringing. It grew louder and louder as he held Lucy's limp body in his arms, deafening him to the point where the world around them faded away. Nothing else existed, nothing but the girl who was no longer moving and that damned ringing that wouldn't __stop__ increasing. His head pounded, his heart throbbed, his breathing hitched, faltered, choked out of him until he felt like he wasn't even breathing at all.

And then there was nothing.

Dead silence.

And in that moment, that excruciating, silent moment, Natsu snapped back to reality.

"No." Came the first wave of refusal. " _ _No.__ "

Was that his voice? Normally he would never have assumed so, but there was no one else's it could have been. And why should it even surprise him that the cracked, raspy voice of a completely broken man belonged to him?

Gently, oh, so gently, he lowered Lucy's body to the ground. Suddenly she looked so fragile, as if she'd break into pieces if he moved her too much. But what did it matter now if she broke? The ultimate damage had already been done.

"NO!" Natsu growled, the second wave of denial threw caution to the wind and gentleness right out along with it. Being gentle wasn't going to bring her back. And Natsu was __definitely__ going to bring her back, no matter the cost.

 _ _You can't bring the dead back to life__ , the nasty voice in the back of his mind whispered.

" _ _Watch me.__ " He snarled.

His hands clumsily clapped together, instinct taking over as he placed his palms flat on her chest and firmly pressed down. He repeated the motion, over and over, pumping blood through Lucy's body when she no longer could.

"Come on, Lucy," he begged while staring directly at her eyes, waiting for them to open again. "Come back to me." His voice cracked at the end and suddenly her face grew blurry.

No, he didn't want that. He wanted to see her! He couldn't lose sight of her now. So __why couldn't he see?__

Soon he realized that if he blinked, there was a moment of clearness before the cloudy moisture blocked his view once more. In those brief seconds, everything was so vivid. Her silky, golden hair splayed out in all directions beneath her. Blink. Her creamy skin that had always looked __so__ soft. Blink. Her long eyelashes that decorated closed lids. Why had he never noticed how long her eyelashes were? And why were her eyes __not opening?__

Dammit. Wasn't he supposed to be keeping count of the compressions? How many times had he pumped already?

"Shit," he cursed as his hands slipped to the side. Why couldn't he __fucking see?__

He quickly swiped the back of his hands across his eyes before returning to their position above Lucy's heart. Of course once he saw the glistening sheen of his hands, he knew instantly why he couldn't see.

The tears...

And now that he remembered them, their numbers multiplied. Any hope he had of seeing what he was doing now was immediately dashed. Why? Why was he crying? Lucy was going to be __fine__. This wasn't __real__. It couldn't be. So just stop already. __Stop crying.__ It's not real. It's not real. It's not real.

 _ _If it's not real, then why are you still giving compressions?__

"Stop it!" He shouted into nothing, frantically pumping Lucy's chest faster in desperation. Salty tear drops rained down on Lucy, showering her in Natsu's heartbreak. "Come on, __Lucy__. Breathe, God dammit!"

 _ _Breathe.__

Natsu's hands stopped. Shit. She wasn't breathing. He was an idiot. And he was only doing __half__ of CPR.

With shaky hands, Natsu pinched Lucy's nose, leaning down and hastily smashing his lips onto hers. His eyes squeezed tightly shut as he breathed into Lucy's lungs, trying his hardest to ignore the fact that her lips seemed cold. That was impossible, right? Not enough time had passed for her body to grow cold…right?

Natsu breathed into her until his lungs burned. He lifted his mouth to gulp in some air before clashing their lips together once more. God, how he had imagined this moment. In __so__ many different ways; not all of them exactly the purest either. But this…this was darker than any he could have ever imagined. It was the worlds cruelest joke that their first kiss turned out this way, moments after Lucy had confessed her love to him.

Natsu's heart constricted painfully as he poured more of his air into her body. Lucy loved him…Lucy Heartfilia, a woman of so many wonders, loved him. And what had he done to deserve it? He let her down, over and over and over again, always appearing a second too late. And this time it had cost her her life.

 _ _NO!__

Natsu took another deep breath. How many times was he supposed to breathe into her? Two? Three? Shit! He didn't know…

He was growing more and more unstable as his mind spiraled into darker places.

He continued pumping her chest. He couldn't stop. He had to keep her heart beating. He had to do __some__ thing right by Lucy.

Even though he messed everything else up.

But he wouldn't mess this up! He could save her.

But that would be impossible, right? How could he save her? What, did he think he was a God?

Though, CPR brings people back all the time. It did, and he would. __He had to__.

But could he?

Sobs escaped through Natsu's sore throat, his mental composure finally snapping. He'd lost sense of himself, his thoughts, his timing, his pressure on Lucy's chest, everything.

It was all slipping away from him, just like Lucy did.

And he was probably never going to be able to gain any of it back…

OoOoOoO

Peace.

Endless, tranquil peace.

That was all there was. As it always has been. And as it always shall be.

.

.

.

But could there have ever been more?

If such a word as 'peace' exists, then is there a word to counter it? Is there something out there beyond 'peace'?

Does it even matter? Serenity should be basked in, not questioned. Peace exists. And peace is here.

.

.

.

But…where is __here?__

 _"_ _ _Child, why do you not rest?"__

Child? What is a child?

" _ _You are.__ "

You…no…me. I am?

 _"_ _ _You are."__

…

.

.

.

Who am I?

 _"_ _ _Do you need a name?"__

I...don't understand.

 _"_ _ _Would you__ like _ _one?"__

…yes.

 _"_ _ _Very well. You are Lucy. Lucy Heartfilia."__

Of course. How had she forgotten? She knew she was Lucy. She knew it with every fiber of her soul. She could even recall exactly what she looked like, and how she sounded. And she knew there was even __more__.

So Lucy opened her eyes.

 _ _Wow.__

She'd never seen a sky so clear and blue. In fact, she wasn't even sure if she'd ever seen a sky before, or how she even knew what it was called for that matter. Moments ago, there was nothing. Nothing but peace. And now…now there was __air__ , and __sky__ , and __wind__ on her skin. Ha! Now she had skin! And a body. And a __name__.

Was this all of the wonder that a name could hold?

A rush of excitement flourished within Lucy's chest. Her fingers flexed out and she discovered soft as a feather strands of…something beneath her. Before she could further question what that something could be, her memory provided her with the word; __grass__.

Finally, she sat up with ease, taking in her surroundings completely for the first time. She appeared to be in a field endlessly rolling with tall tendrils of golden grass. The sight was beautiful. Beautiful beyond compare and peaceful to no measure.

She felt her lips pull into what she knew was a smile. She remembered smiling, remembered how it __felt__ to do so. Therefore she knew without a doubt that she was smiling now. But…how did she remember something when before that instant there had been nothing?

Her smile faltered as the questions began to build up once more.

 _"_ _ _What troubles you, young one?"__

Lucy glanced around, though she knew there would be no one else in sight. Somehow it didn't disturb her that this voice had no body attached to it. She only felt warmth toward the presence speaking to her.

"I wouldn't say that I'm troubled," Lucy responded, hearing her voice out loud for the first time despite knowing already what it would sound like. Her head tilted as she contemplated the odd sensation of speaking. "More like curious…or confused."

 _"_ _ _Ask your questions, Lucy."__

Blinking, Lucy considered this request for merely the briefest of time.

Then she let them all out.

"Where are we? How are we here? There wasn't __anything__ like this, and then all of sudden there __was__ , and now __I'm__ here too. How did it happen? And how do I even know the words to describe this place when I've never seen it? How do I remember? What even is 'remembering'? Who am I? Who is 'Lucy'?" Lucy trailed on, rattling out question after question.

She would have continued doing so if the invisible presence hadn't begun to laugh. It was a rich, inviting sound, and it momentarily distracted Lucy.

 _"_ _ _Oh, child, you never did hold anything back." It chuckled. "Not in your previous life, and not in the next."__

Lucy's mouth popped open to ask some more questions, but she didn't get the chance.

 _"_ _ _This place never exists, not at first. For some, the peacefulness of 'nothing' is preferred. And so they all start out that way, like you did. However, for the others that yearn 'more', they come here."__

"But where-"

 _"_ _ _Here has many names. Some call it nirvana. Some may say heaven, or paradise, the promised land. To put it simply, here is 'after'. After your previous life ended, you came here. As do most others. Like I said, some prefer simply nothing. Just peace. But__ most _ _come here."__

"My previous…life?" Lucy scratched her head. "So what you're saying is…I'm dead?"

 _"_ _ _In one meaning of the word, yes. Your body on another plane has reached its natural limit, thus freeing your soul to ascend to its__ next _ _plane of existence. You could not be here otherwise."__

For the first time since awakening, Lucy felt a strange new emotion. One that twisted her gut in the most unpleasant of ways. "I died…" She had no idea what her past life was like, not even the slightest memory of it. But for some reason, she couldn't shake this feeling of… _regret_.

OoOoOoO

The next thing Natsu was aware of was falling. Not just the metaphorical endless fall into darkness that had been plaguing his mind for the past few minutes. No, this time he was __literally__ falling.

The shock of landing flat on his back without warning knocked the breath out of him for only a second before he was back on his knees, crawling towards Lucy's motionless body. Except now there was another body leaning over her...

"NO!" He roared, grief clouding his judgement and awareness. "Stay away! Don't __touch__ her!"

His eyes were glued only to her face as he rushed over, therefore he was blind to the hands that threw him away from her for the second time.

" _ _Natsu!__ " Someone called, but he didn't listen. He couldn't. Not when they were about to tell him to stop. Not when they were about to tell him it was too late. Not when they were about to take her away from him __forever__.

He couldn't. No. He wasn't ready. He couldn't let it happen.

"Natsu, __listen to me!"__

The dragon slayer was beyond listening. He reached Lucy's side in an instant, reaching over her to position his hands over her chest once more. Only then did he finally stop.

Because there were already hands there. Up and down they went, beating a heart that had long since stopped.

"W-What…" He murmured. His eyes slowly traced up the hands, traveling up their arms and shoulders until he finally reached the face that the hands belonged to. Natsu had to blink tears out of his eyes a couple of times before recognition finally dawned.

"Jellal." He addressed slowly. "What are you…" His voice trailed off when his eyes slid down to Lucy once more and fresh tears blurred his vision. "I have to keep…I have to help…"

"No, Natsu." Jellal stated firmly, his hands never faltering or wavering during compressions. "I'm sorry I threw you back before, but I was calling your name over and over again. You couldn't hear me. And you were getting clumsy with your hands. It wasn't good for her."

No longer able to keep himself upright, Natsu fell back roughly. "Jellal…she…she…" He couldn't bring himself to say the words. No way. It was impossible.

"Natsu, I have to give her mouth-to-mouth." Jellal stated.

It was beyond asking for permission, he knew, but the fire mage could still hear the guilt in his friend's voice. He nodded numbly, although Jellal was already leaning down toward Lucy nonetheless. Natsu would have been truly angry if Jellal had hesitated helping Lucy on his behalf anyway.

Of course, right now he was probably too hopeless to feel any emotion other than despair.

"I found a communications lacryma in the manor and phoned Makarov." Jellal informed Natsu once he had risen. "He's going to find Mest, Natsu. And they're going to bring Porlyusica and Wendy right away. They're coming." He went on, all the while dutifully staying focused on Lucy.

 _ _It's too late…__

That nasty voice again…Natsu wished it would leave him alone. He pulled his knees up to his chest in defeat as fresh waves of sorrow coursed through him.

"I won't stop, okay?" Jellal continued.

 _ _It's too late.__

"I promise you I won't stop."

 _ _It's too late!__

NO!

Natsu's eyes narrowed. He couldn't give up hope, not yet, not now. What would Lucy think if he just accepted her fate so easily? He may not be in the right mind to give medical treatment, but he sure as hell wasn't letting go without a fight.

Forcing down that wicked voice in the back of his mind, Natsu crawled back over to the pair in front of him. He reached for Lucy, but this time for her hand rather than the place above her heart. He intertwined their fingers and none too gently squeezed her small hand in his. He then brought it to his lips where he placed a tender, yet searing kiss on her skin.

"C'mon, Lucy." His voice cracked over her name, but he pushed on. "You haven't even seen __half__ of the things I wanna show you yet. Or heard the things I want to say…" Natsu stifled a sob before continuing. "You always jump ahead without looking, and dammit, it pisses me off, ya know. But I also love that…about __you__. And so many other things. Things I never got the chance to tell ya that I love..." Natsu paused to wrap his other hand around their already intertwined ones. "Loving you, Luce, is an adventure. One that hasn't even had the chance to __begin__ yet. And I promise you won't have to jump ahead on your own anymore. I'll jump too. I won't let go of this hand. So you just have to come back, okay?" He squeezed her hand, hoping he was spreading some warmth over her. "Come back…Lucy."

OoOoOoO

 _"_ _ _Yes, you died, as does every living thing."__

Lucy gazed out into the rolling hills. The fields of gold swayed with the breeze, carrying wisps of her hair to dance with the wind every so often. She supposed it wasn't so bad. The bliss of this existence was nice. And it was absolutely gorgeous everywhere she looked. And yet…she couldn't shake the feeling that she was missing something.

 _"_ _ _But you, Lucy Heartfilia, are not like every living thing."__

Her head jerked up. Where there had been nothing beside her moments ago was now beginning to glow with a brilliant white light materializing from no where. And within it, the voice she'd been communicating with continued on.

 _"_ _ _The thing that makes you stand out, child, is that you are being given a choice. A choice that no one has ever been given. And one that you will__ never __be given again."__

Lucy stared into the light, mesmerized by it's chaotic beauty.

 _"_ _ _You can have this life, Lucy. An eternity of peace. Of serenity and bliss. And eventually, your loved ones from before will join you here. You don't remember them now, but you will the moment they arrive. You can await for them while living in perfect harmony with this plane."__

Lucy was filled with warmth and excitement at the thought. It sounded wonderful. Perfect. And yet…

 _"_ _ _Or you can enter the world of the living once more. I can offer you my power, but only in this moment alone. It will be your last chance. There will be no more going back after this, I cannot give you this offer again. But I must warn you…should you choose to return, it will be tragic. Pain beyond what your imagination at this time is capable of conjuring. Sorrows you couldn't even dream of. That is the curse of the living."__

Suddenly, Lucy felt it. A glimpse of it all, as if the being before her was giving her a warning. Pain. Head to toe covered in excruciating agony. Sadness. Heart wrenching despair that stole the very breath from her lungs. Anger. White hot and furious, blinding her with rage. It all surged within her, swirling together, driving her mad.

A moment later it was gone, leaving Lucy gasping for air.

After she caught her breath she shook her head, though for some reason her eyes have yet to sway from the light before her, even after all that it made her feel. "But…why? Why would anyone want that? Why even give me the option?"

There was silence for only a few seconds before the light spoke to her again.

 _"_ _ _Because you have much left to do, child. And…life as a human is not__ all __bad. There is more. There is always more."__

Lucy's gaze finally tore away from the light, but only to glance down at her hand. She stared at it curiously, flipping it over to examine her palm. She found nothing out of the usual, but still…it felt as if someone was holding it. She felt the warmth of someone else's skin connected to hers, felt the fingers intertwined with her own. And yet nothing was there. How peculiar…

And then she heard it. A voice that felt absolutely familiar and yet completely unknown all at the same time. A voice she yearned to hear more of, and the desire to do so filled her entire body, dangerously enticing her to risk everything that the light had just warned her about.

That was the desire of a human being.

 _"_ _ _Come back…Lucy."__

Tears pricked at Lucy's eyes until they were steadily streaming down her face. She lifted her chin with a solid determination, staring directly into the glowing ambience again. "Please. Lend me your power. Take me back."

The light pulsated once. _"_ _ _Very well."__

And then it enveloped her, embracing her in its luminescence.

OoOoOoO

"Dammit." Natsu growled. "What is taking them so long."

Surely Mest should have been there by now. Natsu was barely holding on to his sanity here, much less onto Lucy's hand.

How long had it been? Mere minutes felt like an eternity to Natsu. An eternity of pure agony. How much longer did they have? Was there a limit to how long a body could take CPR before actually resuscitating? Natsu didn't know the answers to any of these questions, but he knew one thing for sure…the longer it took, the more unlikely it was that she was going to come back.

"Ah!" Jellal gasped in pain, his hands flying away from Lucy's body.

"What are you doing?!" Natsu screamed, releasing Lucy's hand and moving to replace Jellal's immediately. "You said you wouldn't stop!"

"Natsu, wait!"

"LIKE HELL!" He roared, pressing his palms down on Lucy's chest to continue resuscitations. He gasped when he felt it, the same sensation that had caused Jellal to cry out. It was like he'd been zapped by a strong electrical current, one that was coursing through Lucy's body. But there was no way he'd let that stop him.

Something was happening. He didn't know what, but it was __something__. And that was enough to relight the hope that had been reduced to mere smolders in his heart.

Jellal gazed at Natsu with amazement, surprised he was able to keep touching Lucy knowing the shock he himself had received. But soon his attention was back on the blonde. His eyes widened as he tried to make sense of what he was seeing.

"Natsu. Lucy, she's…she's __glowing__."

Sure enough, Lucy was in fact beginning to glow. Natsu hadn't even noticed it at first, seeing as he was focused solely on making sure his pumps were even and he was keeping count. But now, his eyes were raking up and down Lucy's entire body, which had taken on a luminescent hue. Not just outside her body, but inside too. Bright white light was pulsing through her veins, glowing bright enough to be seen through her skin. And it was __moving__.

The light seemed to be relocating through her body, all surging toward the same destination; the center of Lucy's chest. Her heart. The more the light retreated into Lucy's heart, the brighter it became. And the brighter the light grew, the harder it was for Natsu to continue pressing down. When her chest was glowing with a blinding brilliance and all of the light had retreated into one location, Natsu was hit with an electrical shock so powerful he was sent flying backwards.

"No!" He yelled in desperation, jumping to his feet the second he landed. However, before he could reach Lucy, Jellal wrapped his arms around Natsu, stopping him in his tracks. "Let __go__ of me!"

"Natsu! _ _Watch!__ " Jellal matched his tone. "This is magic. __Powerful__ magic. And it's doing more good for her than you and I ever could."

Now that he mentioned it…Natsu could feel it. The magic filled the entire room, possibly even the entire manor. It was incredible, unlike anything he'd ever felt before. And it was slowly spiraling into Lucy's body, centering around her heart. Her heart that they were no longer pumping.

He jerked in Jellal's hands, attempting to run toward her. "I don't care. Right now, she's-"

The light flared suddenly and Lucy's back arched upward off the ground as if she'd been struck by a defibrillator.

 _"_ _ _Lucy!"__

By the time she was flat on the ground again the light had faded completely into her body.

Natsu broke free from Jellal's grasp and barreled straight toward the girl on the ground. But he didn't make it to her. No, he was struck completely motionless by the very next sound that reached his ears.

The most __precious__ sound he'd ever heard.

 _ _B-dmp, b-dmp, b-dmp.__

Natsu collapsed to his knees. He didn't care anymore, he simply couldn't hold it back any longer. He let loose all of the emotion he'd been holding back. He let his tears run free, and the terrible sobs to rake through his chest, his cries tearing loudly through his vocal chords with each wave of emotion. Because nothing had ever made him want to cry out in relief more than the sound of Lucy's heart beating once again.

* * *

 **Oh, the agony! Sweet, sweet suffering and turmoil. Muahaha!**

 **Actually, I take it all back, that was super hard to write! My poor Natsu, gah, I hated to write him in pain! But could you imagine what he was going through? I tried really hard to put all of us into the mind of someone suffering great loss and grief and not knowing how to handle it.**

 **Hopefully it was portrayed alright! Ya know, aside from the gut-wrenching sadness we all felt when we couldn't actually throw our arms around Natsu and give him a big 'ol bear hug!**

 **Fin-Fish Jun-Tenshi : Ahhh! Is your heart okay?! After so many blows, you could end up like Lucy, you know! T^T But alas, all is well and good! For now...hehehe. Ah! I'm so glad you mentioned Juvia and Gray's fighting dymanic! I LOVED writing that scene! And Jellal finding Erza! Ahhh, it's been so long since writing, I forgot some of it and had to go back and read! You highlighted all of my favorte parts! Hehe, so many blows, but oh so worth it! I think? Haha, thank you for reading! And reviewing!:D I hope your heart is on the mend! I have many goods in store :3  
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 **peacerockgirl123 : *Moves toward the lump in the corner, gently patting the shoulder of the crying human* There, there. *sniff* You definitely weren't alone in your tears! Gah, writing it was SO hard! A real challenge that took a lot out of me. OH MY GOSH! Wow! Thank you for sharing that story with me about reading the chapter at school! That actually made me REALLY happy! I know that sounds bad, considering you said you cried at school! But That actually made me feel very successful and happy in a way! (Sorry, sorry! *bows repeatedly*) I guess I can take a little bit of pride from knowing that the emotion was conveyed and that someone felt as much from the chapter as i did writing it! So seriously, from the bottom of my heart, thank you! And thank you for telling me all that! (Also I'm glad you didn't get in trouble for being on your phone! *thumbs up* :3 ) Ahaha, you rock! And thank you, thank you, thank you~!  
**

 **Kirina h: Ahhhh! Haha, I'm so sorry that your happiness over the new chapter was almost immediately dashed! Hahaha, wow! Thank you though, for telling me about you reading it! I love hearing about real life situations like that where readers are actually impacted in their day-to-day life over something that I had written. I think that is the true goal of a writer...to successfully convey emotions that truly impact someone else! I would have loved to have seen your bf's face, haha! Hehehe, I love that you actually guessed about what was going to bring her back! You had a few different guesses, one of which may or may not be right...:3 I'll leave this at 'good guess' for now, and we'll find out for sure next chapter! Hehe (although I'm sure you may already know). AH! And the summoning! Awesome guess for that as well! Wow, you're good at this! Haha. Thank you so much for your review! As always, it made me incredibly happy!  
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 **SulliMike23 : Ahhh...nooo! That's how I felt too when writing it. (it left me speechless for awhile) T^T No! And yes all at the same time! Things miiight be looking up!  
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 **lazygirlabc : (review#1)You can never use too many exclamation marks! They're amazing! Haha. Ahhh, yesss, leaving people speechless is the goal! Haha, although that might not always be considered good, but you said it was so I thank you a thousand times for that! I love that you mentioned Doctor Who! Hot damn, I loveeeeeee that show! Wouldn't that have been something if she just popped out of the Tardis screaming _"SIKE"!_ Haha, something did happen to start her heart again, so your request was definitely granted! Any idea what it was that happened?:D Hahaha, and wow! You're like me! You said you've been waiting for someone to write Lucy dying...Ahaha, that was something I always wanted in a fic as well. Yesss, give me the angst and grief and suffering...I want all of it! Muahaha! But at the same time, gah, I want the sunshine and rainbows and fluff. Haha, what a combination. Thank you so much for your review! It was lovely and truly made me happy!  
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 **(review#2) WOW! You read the story again?! Holy cow, that made me literally smile so much to hear! Ahhhh, wowowowowow! What an amazing compliment! Especially knowing that you still felt the same emotions the second time around! Gah...how can I possibly say thank you enough times? There's no way...I don't think I can...so I guess I'm just going to have to keep writing this story until its end as my thanks! *bows* Thank youuuu!  
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 **The Age of Awesomeness : *sits quietly and listens to your rant until the very end, taking every swear word thrown at me like a champ, only shedding a few tears now and again* Wahhhh! Please forgive me! Or maybe stay angry? Anger is an emotion, and if I made you feel that through my writing then it was a job well done! Maybe? I think. Hahaha! Thank you so much for reviewing (even if it was with a 30 minute rant, hehe), and for being so patient with me! I truly appreciate you!  
**

 **Guest#1 : Ahhh! Well, mysterious stranger, I humbly thank you for reading and reviewing! As for why I did this to you...well, think of the worst thing you've ever done (like stolen the last cookie from the cookie jar?) and then let's just say it's karmic vengeance for that! Muahaha! Just kidddingggg! But seriously though, I'm glad you enjoyed the heart break!:)  
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 **Darlene : DARLENE! *materializes out of thin air in a burst of colorful smoke* Ahhhh, hello again! *tackles you in a hug* Ahaha, how have you been? I hope all is well! Yayy! I'm so glad you enjoyed Lucy's confession. I thought it was nice and tragic, but good that she was able to tell him before it was too late! I was really hoping someone would comment their thoughts on it, so thank youuuuu. Ahhh, I'm sorry though! *wipes away your tears* Ahaha, you caught on to me! When I said she was 100% dead, but didn't say she would stay dead. You were right! As usual:D hehe. Ahhh, wow, you're amazing! You quoted one of my favorite lines from Jellal! Yesss, writing his scenes from last chapter made me emotional too! Wow, it's been so long since we last talked! How was/is the new semester? I can't believe it started in october and we're already in January...WOW. I just can't seem to grasp how fast time is flying by. OH MY GOSH, BUT DO YOU KNOW WHAT THE NEW YEAR MEANS?! *throws confetti and balloons everywhere* IT MEANS FT ANIME WILL BE COMING SOON, 2018, AWH YEAHHH! Ohhhhh my gosh, I can't wait! We have to talk about every episode, okay?! Yes, I get what you mean about Dragon Cry! I really wish we were given more slow moments, or time with the characters in general. You're right though, the animation was BEAUTIFUL! I hope they keep a similar style with the anime! AHhHHhHHhhh, yesssss, I'm so glad we got to see Acnologia animated in human form finally! And Zeref and company! SO excited! Of course your opinion would never make me angry! Please don't ever feel that way! One thing I love more than anything is discussing people's different opinions! I think it's so fascinating to see how people think differently and why exactly they think that way. I love it! So anytime you feel like sharing an opinion, I'm always here to listen!:D OH MY GOSH, DARLENE! Yessss! WOW! A tarzan AU sounds AMAZING! And holy crap, did you really just ask me that?! I would be honored to help you if you ever decide to write a fic! SO honored! You're gonna make me cry, ahaha. Gosh, you're just so sweet. Reading over this makes me realize how much I missed you! I really do hope that all is well! Thank you so much for being the awesome person that you are! *squeezes you super tight before frantically waving goodbye*  
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 **Roo : AH! Firstly, thank you for the multiple reviews! And nice to meet you! Welcome to the madness~! Enjoy your stayyy. Hehe. It was fun to read your progression through the story by your different comments! Gosh, I love cheetos way too much, hahaha...But yes! As to your review from the last chapter! AHHHHHH, I knowwww! It didn't seem possible that I would ever write something like that! Actually killing a character was really hard and a new challenge for me, but...is it bad if a part of me actually enjoyed writing it? Hmm...probably not, hahaha. And the confession! Ah! What timing! I knew I wanted to incorporate a tragic confession somehow, but maybe that was almost too cruel? Eh...again, probably not! Hehe:P Thank you so much for reviewing! Hopefully I'm beginning to make up for the tragedy!  
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 **Guest#2 : YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! :D muahahaha  
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 **Frosted Fox : Wow, that was a really awesome guess!:D Although it wasn't Ultear, I hope the alternative didn't disappoint! But don't you worry, I have plans in store for Ultear... *rubs hands together mischievously*  
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 **Heavenly Star : Ah! Yess! My heart broke right along with Natsu's as well! That was actually the hardest part for me, writing Natsu's anguish...harder even than writing Lucy's actual death! Ahhhh, what better way for a confession to happen though?! Oops, did I say that?O_O Eep, don't hurt me! Gahh, I'm just imagining all of the feelings that ran through Natsu's mind when Lucy confessed like that...ahhh, angsty angst. Thank you so much for your review and the compliment! That made me very happy! I seriously appreciate it. I hope to continue to keep people happy with this story! Or maybe unhappy? Sad? Mad? Hmm...as long as your feeling _something_ from it, that should be good, right?:D ahahaha  
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 **FireShifte r: Hiii! Oh, dear, please don't ever apologize for a late review! Especially when my punctuality is as terrible as it is...Ahhh, I'm so sorry I took so long to update! I haven't had the slightest motivation to write...But I'm happy to finally be delivering another chapter to you! Also, I'm sorry if last chapter was confusing in any way! Was there anything I could clear up maybe? You said you weren't entirely sure what happened, and I'd love to help if I can! I'm always afraid of writing something that doesn't make sense, so please let me know if there's ever anything I can fix! But yes, Jude...Oh, Jude...there's so much more going on with him than what meets the eye. But you're right! Things are definitely not looking so bright for FT right now...however they did just now get a slight win! With Lucy's heart beating again and all. Thank you so much for reviewing, and sorry again for the late update! I look forward to hearing what you think of the newest chapter release:) Thank you!  
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 **Nalulover : *picks up the shattered broken pieces of your heart and carefully glues them together* Here you go! I'm so sorry for the damage! But alas, time heals all wounds! And sometimes hearts start beating again!:D YAY! Haha, but it's better that you didn't know about the angst, right? Surprise angst is always best! Or maybe it's the worst...hmmm...I'm not so sure anymore T^T I can't wait to continue sharing with you and hearing back again! I hope you enjoyed!:D  
**

 **Mada666 : Ahhh, yess, much heartbreak! Glorious heartbreak! hehehe, I'm sorry! But yay! Her heart is beating once more! Things just might start looking up for the FT gang once more...maybe. Ah! Yess! I'm glad you mentioned the confession and how Natsu didn't get to say it back! I thought that was definitely the most tragic part and I'm so happy that someone else felt the same way! Wow, thank you so much for the compliments and review! It put the biggest smile on my face! Thank you!  
**

 **Guest#3 : Ahh, thank you so much for the compliment! I promise to continue working diligently on the storyline! I'm so sorry the update was late:( But thank you so much for reading and for your patience!  
**

 **booklover551 : Ahhhh, NOOOOOO! YOU CAN'T BE DEAD! Don't worry, I will DEFINITELY revive you! I'm as stubborn as Natsu! Ahaha, hey! Lucy came back! Sooo...you promised me some halloween candy! Muahaha! Yesss! I hope you follow through on your promise...we wouldn't want to call the reinforcements.. *folds arms and waits patiently while mafia members line up behind me with menacing glares* hehehe, just kidding! *wink* Thank you so much for the compliments, wow, that made me happy...Thank you! You rock so much, thank youuu! I look forward to hearing your thoughts about the latest update :)  
**

 **Guest#4 : Ahhh, wow, you read it a couple times? Thank you! That means a lot! Wow~! Hehehe, I'm happy that I was able to convey so many emotions, despite it being sad...Now Lucy's heart is beating again! But is she in the clear? Hehehe, we'll seeeeeee. I hope you enjoyed Natsu's reaction! As much as possible at least, all things considered.  
**

 **silver light of dawn : Ahh, thank you for your multiple reviews! Your last one was a few chapters back, so I hope you're seeing this! I just wanted to give you my appreciate for reading and sharing your thoughts!:D And to thank you sincerely for the amazing compliments! I love writing the FT characters because they're all so unique! So to know that I'm able to capture even a fraction of their personalities really means a lot to me! Thank you so much!  
**

 **Guest#5 : Wow! Thank you so much! That was seriously an amazing compliment...and seriously, just put a lot of time and practice and effort into your writing, NEVER give up, and you can become an even more amazing author than I could ever dream of being! It's all about dedication! You can do it!:D  
**

 **G uest#6: hehehe, cliffhangers are the best AND the worst, aren't they? I hope you enjoyed the newest chapter! Thanks for reading!:D  
**

 **calypso tchaka : AHHHH! No! *picks up the broken pieces* WAIT, we can fix this! Haha, but seriously, wow! Thank you so much! The best and the worst reading experience means more to me than you can possibly know. Thank you so much for saying that! And trust me, I understand what you mean about life happening...life happened to me too and before I knew it months had passed! T^T I'm sorry though, I hope everything is okay with you! And I'm happy to have you back as well! Haha, yesss, Kyoka is so cruel, but that also makes it somewhat fun to write her character I think...she's so sadistic and I don't usually get the chance to write like that. And oh, Jude...yess, there's so much going on with him. I really just want to punch him though..Ugh. Ahhh, thank you again! Seriously! I really appreciate your opinions and thoughts! Thanks so much! Until next time! My warmest regards~  
**

 **Sammy : WOW! Thank you so much! That is a major compliment if this fic was the first to evoke such emotion in you that it brought you to tears! Wow! Thank you! T^T I'll cry with you if it makes it any better! And yay! I definitely plan to continue this story until the very end! I hope you continue to enjoy! WOW! From Brazil?! That's incredible! Ahhh, thank you so much! :D  
**

 **WOW! So many awesome comments! And lots and lots of heartbreak...muahaha. Successsss.**

 **BUT, things are looking a little brighter, no?**

 ** _What did you think? Any questions about what exactly happened? Do you know what/who the light was that Lucy was talking to? How was she revived? What did you think of the 'afterlife'?_ _Favorite part of the chapter?  Least favorite?_ **

**I wanna hear your thoughts and opinions!:D**

 **I have so much in store for you guys!**

 **But first, I just want to stop and say thank you to all of the readers that have stuck around this long and made it to this point! You guys are literally the best, and reading over your kind words has really helped lift my spirits. I can't thank you enough for that.**

 **Thank you so, so much!**

 **Here's to the continuing adventure, eh?:D**

 **xoxo**

 **-Mac**


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